Far From Home
by Hikari102490
Summary: What if Ed and Al's mom never died? Have you ever wondered about that? Would they still live a life in Resembool, perfectly content with their lives, or would they find a new adventure? There's only one way to find out! Rating changed to M just to be safe
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist/Brotherhood or their characters! The belong to Hiromu Arakawa!

**Summary:** What if Ed and Al's mom never died? Have you ever wondered about that? Would they still live a life in Resembool, perfectly content with their lives, or would they find a new adventure? There's only one way to find out!

**Far From Home**

**A/N: Okay, so I just thought I'd explain the title...I couldn't think of one! So I picked the title of my favorite Vic Mignogna song. You should check it out. Unless hearing christian songs isn't your thing...then don't. For anyone who doesn't know who Vic Mignogna is though, he's Ed's voice actor. So if you're curious about what Ed would sound like, give it a listen...or you could pick a different song of Vic's. Umm...Nothing I won't Give, is an awesome one, written specifically about Ed and Al...it's sort of sung in Ed's point of view I guess...maybe I should rename my story Nothing I Won't Give...if you think I should, review and let me know. =] **

**Now, onward to the story! Enjoy. =]**

It had been four years since their father had left. Edward was now seven and Alphonse was six. (this is a guess, I don't actually know how old Ed and Al were when Hoenheim left...so I guessed 3 and 2 judging by the line "Al said he had to go potty."~ Ed~ 3 and 2 is about the right age for that.) Ed and Al were just entering the kitchen for lunch and Ed notices that their mom was staring out the window again with a far away look in her eyes. She had been quiet that day, and Ed was a little worried about her, so he and Al had made her a present.

"Mom, we made you a present!" announces Ed, proudly, as he holds the gift behind his back. Trisha visibly jolts out of her state of spacing out before turning to look at her sons with a warm smile.

"You boys know you don't have to do anything like that for me," says Trisha, cheerfully, but Ed could detect the false note in her tone.

"We wanted to," says Al, happily, as he snatches the gift out of Ed's hands and runs over to Trisha.

"Hey! I was going to give it to her!" argues Ed, as he chases Al, but Al was already holding out the wreath of flowers they had made from wild flowers growing in the meadow. Trisha's smile widens and her eyes brighten up, and Ed could tell that she was genuinely happy about the gift.

"It's gorgeous! You know, your father used to make these for me all of the time when we were younger! But this is the most beautiful ring of flowers I've ever gotten! If Hoenheim were here he'd be just as proud of you boys as I am," says Trisha, as she holds the wreath in front of her to look at. Al seemed extremely proud of the praise, but to Ed it was bittersweet. He was happy to see his mom so happy about their gift, but he didn't make it so that he could be like Hoenheim. He had made it in the hopes that they could brighten their mom's day. It had worked, but now she was brought back to thoughts of Hoenheim, and Ed could see the smile fading just a little.

Suddenly he was angry at Hoenheim again. Why did he have to walk out on them? Why wasn't he back yet? Did he know what he was putting their mom through? Ed growls and turns around before running out of the room. "I'm going for a walk!" shouts Ed, angrily.

"Wait! Edward, what about your lunch?" calls Trisha, worried about Ed's sudden mood change.

"I'm not hungry!" shouts Ed, angrily.

"I wanna –" but Al is cut off.

"Don't follow me, Al!" shouts Ed, followed by the sound of the door slamming. Al frowns and Trisha pulls him into a hug.

"He just needs a little air," says Trisha, reassuringly.

"Why does he always get so mad when you mention daddy?" asks Al. Trisha looks at the doorway that Ed had just left through.

"He's probably mad at him. He thinks that your father left us and is never coming back, but that isn't true. He'll be back," says Trisha, with so much conviction in her voice, that Al had to believe her.

"So, what's for lunch?" asks Al.

"I thought that we could just have sandwiches. Does that sound okay?" asks Trisha.

"Yeah," says Al, cheerfully, before walking to his spot at the table and getting in his chair. Trisha makes him a ham sandwich and lays it in front of him with a glass of milk.

"Thank you," says Al.

"When you're done, why don't you see if you can find Edward? Okay? Tell him, that I'd like to talk to him," says Trisha, looking out the window again.

"Okay," says Al, wondering if Ed was in trouble or not. After lunch, Al leaves and begins searching for Ed. He starts at the Rockbell home. When he knocks, Winry answers the door.

"Hi, Al!" says Winry, cheerfully. She thought that Al had come to play with her.

"Have you seen Ed anywhere? He got mad and left again," explains Al. Winry sighs and puts on her shoes.

"Grandma, I'm going with Al to find Ed!" shouts Winry.

"Just be careful!" calls Pinako.

"We will!" they both yell, before Winry shuts the door. Al and Winry decide to start in town. Sometimes Ed liked to walk down the railroad tracks and transmute pieces of fallen coal and other rocks and things that had fallen from the trailers, into small figurines. When Al and Winry reach the town there was a large crowd in front of the train station, but no trains waiting to load passengers. Just then a man, named Ray, exits the crowd, he had blood all over the front of his shirt, and he looked to be panicking. When he sees Al and Winry, he immediately approaches them.

"Alphonse, you need to go get your mother, and Winry, could you get your grandmother?" asks Ray.

"What's going on? Was somebody hurt?" asks Winry.

"Yeah. Ed's been hit by the train that just left. It's bad kids, please, hurry," says Ray. Al and Winry gasp, and look at each other with wide eyes before turning and running back towards their homes. When Al gets home, he couldn't catch his breath properly to tell Trisha what was wrong. All he could do was point towards the door and wheeze out Ed's name.

"What about Ed, Al?" asks Trisha, as she rubs Al's back, trying to calm him down. Tears begin streaming down his face. "Al?" asks Trisha.

"Ed!" he gasps. "Train!" he gasps.

"What about them?" asks Trisha. Al was finally able to catch his breath a little.

"Ed...was hit...by the...train!" Al finally manages to get out between gasps for air.

"What? Are you sure?" demands Trisha. Al nods, and suddenly Trisha was out the door and running towards the train station. Al decided that he could sit down and catch his breath for a moment. He loved Ed, and he was worried about him, but their mom would know what to do, Al knew he would just be in the way. Just as he was thinking this, Winry runs in.

"What are you doing, Al? Come on, we have to go see Ed!" demands Winry, as she grabs his wrist and pulls him to his feet before dragging him out the door.

"Wait! Winry, I can't run anymore!" gasps Al, as they take off towards town again.

"Come on! You can stop when we get there!" shouts Winry, angrily. By the time they get to town they could see that the crowd had grown, but they had also backed up to give Pinako and Trisha room to help Ed. From where Winry and Al stood, they could see a lot of blood. Pinako and Trisha were working frantically to stop the bleeding. Edward was whimpering, but mostly seemed to be out of it.

"Shh, it's going to be okay, baby," croons Trisha.

"Mom?" whimpers Ed.

"I'm here, son," says Trisha. Winry and Al inch closer.

"Winry, run to the pharmacy and get me some more bandages!" orders Pinako.

"Yes!" says Winry, before running off to get the bandages. One of the people in the group follow Winry. She was the manager at the pharmacy. Al walks over to Trisha and grabs her sleeve and buries his face in her neck. He was afraid to look at Ed. By this point Ed had fallen unconscious.

"He's going to live, Al," says Trisha, reassuringly. Al nods his acknowledgment and peeks at Ed. He immediately wishes he hadn't, because it was far worse than he could have imagined. His left leg was gone! Pinako was trying to stop the bleeding while she waited for Winry.

"H-his –"

"Yes, I know. He's in bad shape, but he'll survive, that's what's important now," says Trisha, taking Al's hand in her free hand, her other hand had a hold of Ed's hand.

"I've got them!" shouts Winry, as she runs over and drops a first aid kit in front of Pinako, as well as several boxes of bandages. "Mrs. Miller said not to worry about paying for this stuff."

"Thank you, Winry. Go tell Mrs. Miller that I said thanks," says Pinako, immediately going to work on Ed's leg. Al looks at Trisha's face, she looked determined, as well as worried, but she wasn't crying. Al wondered if she was just putting on a brave face for them.

"What happened?" asks Al, in a small voice.

"No one knows for sure. Ray said that he heard screaming and found Edward laying next to the tracks, his leg had been severed. He thinks that Ed might have rolled off of the tracks, but hadn't been able to get all of the way off of them in time," explains Pinako. Trisha had opened her mouth to answer Al's question, but had been unable to answer before Pinako cut in.

"What about his leg? Can't you put it back on, aunt Pinako?" asks Al.

"No, even if the limb had survived, it probably would have had to have been amputated anyway. The only option for Edward, would be auto mail," says Pinako.

"So, will he get auto mail then?" asks Al, looking at Trisha.

"I'll leave that up to Edward. Pinako and I will explain everything to him, and let him decide if he wants to go through with it," says Trisha. Al knew that Ed would go through with it. He wasn't one for being helped, and he certainly wouldn't want to spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair, which was exactly where he would spend it if he didn't get the auto mail.

"I've done all that I can, for now. We need to get him back to my house so that I can fix him properly," says Pinako. Ray walks over to them holding a blanket.

"I could carry him for you," offers Ray. "I brought a blanket, I didn't know if he would need it."

"Thank you, Ray," says Trisha.

"Okay, wrap him up, and let's go," says Pinako, getting up and walking back towards her house.

"Yes, ma'am," says Ray. Once he had Ed wrapped up, he follows, with Trisha, Al, and Winry not far behind.

"Um, Aunt Trisha?" asks Winry, uncertainly.

"Yes, Winry?" asks Trisha.

"Can I design Ed's auto mail? I've been studying real hard, and granny said that I would be able to start helping out with the attachments," says Winry.

"Of course you can, Winry, but we don't know if Ed will get auto mail or not," says Trisha.

"He will," says Winry, confidently.

"Why do you say that?" asks Trisha.

"Because Ed doesn't like being helped, and without a leg, he's going to need a _lot_ of help," says Winry. "I think he'll get tired of it pretty quickly."

"You have a point. He's always tried to be the grown up. I think he's trying to fill his father's shoes, but they're just too big for him," says Trisha. "Ever since Hoenheim left, Ed's tried to take care of everyone, he never does anything for himself."

"And he doesn't let anyone help him, either," says Winry.

"Well, now he doesn't have a choice," says Trisha, sadly.

"Everything will be okay. He's strong," says Winry, with a small smile on her face.

"He's Hoenheim's son, of course he's strong," says Trisha, fondly. When they reached Pinako's house, Ed is put in an empty patient's cot and Pinako gets to work treating his wounds properly.

"Mom, what can I do?" asks Al, standing next to Trisha and tugging on the skirt of her dress. Trisha looks down at Al, there were tears in her eyes, she could no longer hold back the tears of fear and worry she held for her oldest son. "Mom?" asks Al, panicked by the tears. Trisha kneels down and wraps her arms around Al. Al hugs her back as she begins shaking, her body wracked by sobs.

"There's nothing we can do right now, except wait for Pinako to treat his injuries and pray that he gets better," says Trisha.

"But maybe alchemy – " But Trisha cuts him off with a pained look.

"Alchemy can't fix Ed. You can never, ever use alchemy to fix a person," says Trisha.

"Why?" asks Al. He and Ed had read it in books that human transmutation was forbidden, but the books had never explained why.

"Your father said that bad things happened to alchemists who attempted to fix a person with alchemy," says Trisha. She didn't seem to know anymore about it than Ed and Al had.

"I want to do something for him though. I can't just sit here and wait for granny to fix him! There has to be something!" says Al, before running out of the room. Trisha sighs heavily when she hears the front door open.

"Hey, Al, where are you going?" could be heard coming from Winry, followed by a second set of foot steps and the front door closing. Trisha walks over to a chair and sits down, just then Ray comes out carrying the blanket Ed had been in.

"You're son's a fighter, Trisha. He'll be just fine," says Ray, reassuringly.

"Thank you, Ray," says Trisha, with a small smile. "Thank you for finding Edward, and for bringing him back here. Thank you for everything." Ray blushes and rubs the back of his neck, embarrassed.

"It was nothing, ma'am. I would have done it for anyone here in Resembool," says Ray.

"How is he?" asks Trisha. Pinako didn't like anyone in the room when she was working on a patient, so Trisha had been told to wait outside.

"He opened his eyes and looked around a little, but then he was right back out. I think Mrs. Rockbell is almost finished," says Ray.

"Okay," says Trisha.

"Is there anything I can do for you?" asks Ray.

"No, but thank you anyway," says Trisha. All Trisha wanted at this point was to see Edward. She wanted to hold his hand and see that he was okay. She wanted to speak to him. Most of all, she just wanted to hug him, and tell him how much she loved him, how scared she was, and assure him that everything was going to be okay.

Ray could see that Trisha had a lot on her mind and didn't seem to want to be bothered by him anymore, so he said good-bye and left the house. He wanted to get back home and let his family know what was going on. The Elric family was well known in Resembool, and just as with any other family in such a small town, if someone was hurt or in need of assistance, the other members of town would do what they could to help. It was the right thing to do after all.

Trisha sat, waiting outside the door, no more than ten feet away from Edward, for about an hour, until Pinako came out removing a bloody pair of gloves. "The boy's alseep. I did everything that I could for him, but now it's up to his body to finish the rest. You should go be with him, he'll want to see a familiar face when he wakes up. He might be disoriented at first. I'm going to start dinner, let me know if anything changes," says Pinako, and with that, she left the room.

Trisha wasted no time getting up and going into the room. Edward, her 'little man' as she affectionately referred to him sometimes, seemed extra small, laying in that large cot, missing a leg. She hesitantly walks over to the chair next to the bed and sits down. She didn't want to wake up Edward, she knew he needed his sleep if he was going to get any better. After she sits down, she looks at his face. His face, almost exactly like Hoenheim's, had some scraps on it, and there was a bump on his forehead, but he didn't look to worse for wear. His neck was okay, and what she could see of his chest was also okay. Everything else was covered by the sheet.

Trisha carefully uncovers his right arm and takes his hand in hers before fixing the blanket once more. His arm had a few scrapes and bruises on it, but was also fine. It made Trisha happy to see that what was left of her son was relatively unharmed. If you could ignore the missing leg, he'd come home looking worse after getting into fights with other kids at school, or after some of his adventures with Al and Winry out in the woods or at the river.

Trisha looks at Ed's sleeping face and chokes back a sob at the thought of how close she had come to losing her son. She didn't want to admit how much she depended on Ed and Al to get through each day without Hoenheim. Didn't want to think about the possibility that Hoenheim was gone for good. She often heard Edward telling Alphonse that their father wasn't coming back. He honestly believed that, she could tell, but Hoenheim had never lied to her, or broken a promise. He had told her that he would come back, and he would always send them letters, usually with money, and in the letters he would say lines such as 'when I get home' or 'when we're together again'. So he had to be planning to come home.

Trisha pulls herself out of her thoughts and looks back down at Ed. Ed always went out of his way to make her happy. He always did everything that he could for her and Al. He took over the role of man of the house, immediately after Hoenheim had left, and Trisha feared, no knew – though she didn't want to admit to this either – that she leaned on Edward too much sometimes. She let him be her 'little man' and take care of them, when he should be out being a kid, like Al and Winry. She knew he was under a lot of stress because of this. Him running out of the house just two hours ago had proved that. It was her fault that this had happened to him. If she hadn't begun to depend on him so much, if she hadn't tried to compare him to his father, she knew that he didn't like it, but sometimes she just couldn't help herself, she always meant it as a compliment to Edward and his character, it was never meant to be a bad thing, if none of that had happened, he wouldn't have run out, and he wouldn't have gone to the tracks, and he wouldn't have been hit by that train, and lost his limbs.

Trisha begins sobbing as the realization and guilt overwhelm her. She was to blame for this. Edward was going to be so upset when he woke up and realized that his leg was gone and that it was her fault. Just as she's thinking this Ed's eyebrows knit together and he begins whimpering and squirming around. "Ed?" asks Trisha, reaching out to touch his face. Just as she was about to touch him he turns his face to the side and his leg begins moving like he's trying to get away from something. Then he sits up with a jolt, his eyes wide open, and he yells.

"MOM!"

End Chapter

**A/N: Thank you for reading chapter one. Hopefully this didn't go too fast. I tried to find a plausible explanation to give Ed auto mail, and this is the only thing that I could come up with. I know it's not very original. Next chapter will be what really happened to Ed...and...IDK what else...so yeah...as always, Reviews are welcome. Feel free to ask questions, give advice, or ideas, but I do not want any flames. Thank you. Sayonara! =]**

**A/N 2: Okay, so after a couple of reviews telling me that my story was being unrealistic and farfectched, I decided that I would fix it and make things more plausible. I promise that I am in no way angered by those reviews, they were fully justified and correct and I'm glad that they pointed it out. It also helped in a way, because now I can go on with my story the way it was meant to. So, I changed two things...originally Ed lost both limbs, but I changed it to just his leg. I also changed his age, he is now 7 instead of 11. I did this for a reason, but to find out the reason, you have to keep reading. So thank you for your patience with me while I write this. I apologize once again if I have confused anyone. **

**Sayonara! =] **

**~Vampiressbella2009~**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

Ed was glaring at the ground as he walked down the tracks kicking rocks as he went. Why did everyone have to compare him to his "father"? His mom said he looked like him, but he didn't see it. Angry, Ed kicks another rock. Stupid Hoenheim. Stupid, Hoenheim for walking out on them, and for making his mom sad. Stupid Hoenheim for forcing him to grow up before he was ready to! Why did he have to do everything anyway? Why did he have to make his mom happy, and let Al follow him around like a lost puppy? Why did he feel the need to get a job this summer so that he could take care of his family financially? Ed picks up a rock and throws it.

It was all Hoenheim's fault. That damn bastard walked out on his family. He didn't care what happened to them. They could be living on the streets for all that Hoenheim cared. Ed growls and kicks another rock. Well Ed wasn't going to let that happen! He would make sure of it! No matter what! Ed kicks a third rock just in time to realize that the ground was shaking. Ed turns around just in time to see the train coming at him. It was several yards away and approaching fast.

Ed looks around him. His brain was telling him to get off of the tracks, but his feet wouldn't move! Ed backs up a few steps and stumbles, falling onto his butt. He scrambles trying to get up and get off of the tracks. But his body just wasn't cooperating with him! The train was only about 5 yards away now. It was now or never! He had to move! The train's horn blares, scaring Ed out of his thoughts. He scrambles off of the tracks, but in his shock and fear he doesn't realize that he hadn't fulle removed himself from the tracks.

Just as he's laying there, the train goes by, and Ed sees red. When the train is past Ed tries to stand up, using his left leg as leverage, but it only resulted in him falling on his face. It's then that Ed realizes that something was very wrong. He manages to get into a sitting position and looks at the tracks. There was a lot of blood on them, but Ed couldn't understand why. Then he looks down at his lap and notices that his left leg was gone!

"Wha?" Ed looks around frantically, even going to far as to touching the stump, just to verify that it was no longer there. He called for the only person that he could think of to help him. "MOM!" he screams, as loud as he can. "MOM! I need help! Please!" he screams. He begins sobbing and screaming, until a man he knew to be named Ray, shows up.

"Edward? Is that you?" he asks, as he approaches Ed. Ed was sobbing weakly, he had lost a lot of blood by this point.

"It's gone," whimpers Ed. Just as Ray was about to ask Ed what he was talking about, he notices that his leg was gone.

"Oh man, okay, I need to get you back to town," says Ray, rushing over to Ed and picking him up. When they get back to town it hadn't taken long for a crowd to form. When Winry and Alphonse showed up Ray told them to get Trisha and Pinako. He knew that Pinako would know what to do, severed limbs were her specialty after all. And Trisha was Ed's mother, it was only right that she be notified immediately. Shortly after that, Edward had gone unconscious.

Ed had fallen into a dark, peaceful place. He felt safe here, and yet there was this nagging feeling that something wasn't quite right with his world. And then the nightmare began. He was tied down to rail road tracks and the train was coming! He couldn't move! As much as he struggled, he couldn't move. He could feel the tears welling up in his eyes. Then the horn blares just as Ed had yelled out for his mother.

"Ed sits up in his bed and looks around the room frantically, but he stops when he sees his mother watching him, looking concerned.

"Edward, what's wrong? Did you have a bad dream?" asks Trisha. Ed gulps and nods as he looks back down at his lap. Suddenly he remembered what had happened to him and he throws the covers off of him, only to reveal that he really had been hit by that train. Ed gasps and his eyes fill with tears. It was gone. His leg had been taken from him in that accident!

Trisha sees Ed's tears and pulls him into a hug as he begins sobbing. "I know, sweetheart, I know. You've been through so much today, little man. You're probably scared out of your mind," croons Trisha. She didn't know exactly what to say to her son, but she didn't want to not say anything either.

"It's gone!" sobs Ed.

"Yes, but you're alive, Edward. That's all that's important now," says Trisha.

"How will I take care of you and Al if I can't even take care of myself though?" asks Ed, causing Trisha's eyes to widen. That's what Ed was worried about? Taking care of her and Al?

"That should be the least of your worries, Edward. Right now you just need to focus on getting better," says Trisha. Just then, a tentative knock sounds on the door, and Trisha looks over at it just as Al pokes his head in, looking sheepish. Ed quickly wipes his tears away. He would be strong, for Al. He couldn't let Al know how much he was hurt or scared, it would only serve to worry Al, needlessly.

"Um, may I come in?" asks Al.

"Did Pinako say that it was okay?" asks Trisha. It wasn't that she didn't want her son there, but she didn't want to upset Pinako either. It was Pinako's house after all, and if Pinako said that she only wanted certain people in the room to see Edward, then she had to abide by her rules.

"She told me that I could if it was okay with you, and if I was quiet," says Al, timidly.

"Then by all means, come in, Alphonse. Edward has just woken up," says Trisha. Al smiles widely at the news and comes in holding something behind his back.

"I brought something for brother, to make him feel better," announces Al, as he approaches the bed.

"Really? What is it?" asks Trisha. Al looks over at Ed, who was watching Al quizzically. Al lays a toy dog, made of stone, in Ed's lap.

"He'll protect you while you heal," says Al. Ed looks down at the dog, it looked exactly like Den, with the exception of the auto mail. Ed grins and picks it up.

"Thanks Al. I'm sure with this I'll get to feeling better in no time," says Ed. Al looks around for a place to sit and decides to sit on the edge of Ed's bed, being careful not to move the bed too much..

"So, are you going to get auto mail?" asks Al.

"Auto mail?" asks Ed, wondering what Al knew that he didn't. Of course Ed knew what auto mail was, Winry talked about it and drew enough pictures of it for it to be impossible for him to not know, but it didn't occur to him that he could get that to replace the leg that he had just lost. Then again, he'd only been up for five minutes, and the fact that his leg was gone in the first place was proving to be a difficult pill to swallow. His brain was still convinced that the leg was there. If he had both legs, Al would be sitting on his foot right now, and his brain knew that, but was confused by the lack of feeling.

"We weren't going to talk about that until later, after you've healed more and had time to adjust," says Trisha, looking pointedly at Al, who suddenly looked sheepish.

"Oops, sorry," says Al.

"No, don't worry, Al. It's okay. I want to have time to think about it, and the more time I have the better, right?" asks Ed.

"How about we talk about this tomorrow?" suggests Trisha. Ed knew that his mom didn't want to talk about it right now. She'd had quite the scare, they all had, and it was all Ed's fault. If he hadn't been so caught up in his thoughts then he would have known that the train was coming. Now he was missing his leg, and his family, and probably all of Resembool, was worried about him.

"Sure. We'll talk about this when you're ready, mom," says Ed, trying to ease his mom's pain a little. Ed looks out the window and sighs heavily. He was wondering why his stump wasn't hurting very much. Did Pinako really give him that much pain medicine? But if so, why wasn't he groggy? And why were his thoughts relatively clear? Maybe he was in shock. His brain certainly didn't seem to realize that the limbs were missing. And when he thought about it he only felt a dull ache.

Just then Pinako and Winry walk in, each of them carrying a tray. Pinako's held two bowls of stew and two rolls, along with two bottles of milk. Winry's held one of everything that Pinako's had. "Good, you're awake," says Pinako, as Winry lays a tray in Ed's lap. "You need to eat up." Pinako lays the other tray on the night stand. "That tray is for you and Al."

"Thank you, Pinako," says Trisha, before handing a bowl and roll to Al. "Be careful that you don't spill it."

"Okay. Thank you granny," says Al, before digging in. Ed nods his thanks as well and begins eating his stew and bread, but doesn't drink the milk, and for once, no one commented it.

"Hey Granny, why dosen't my stump hurt?" asks Ed.

"What do it feel like?" asks Pinak, walking over and inspecting the bandages. He had bled through a little.

"It feels like it's not gone. Sometimes there's a dull ache, but for the most part, I feel normal," explains Ed.

"It's because your brain thinks that that limb is still there and is sending out signals to move it. The lack of pain may also be shock. To be honest, I don't think the accident has fully hit you yet. You're being awfully calm for someone who just got hit by a train," says Pinako.

"When will it hit me?" asks Ed.

"Could be in five minutes, could be a week from now, anytime really. But it will catch up to you eventually," says Pinako. Ed nods his acknowledgment and looks out the window. He just hoped that when it happened no one was there to witness it. He didn't need his family to worry about him. They had enough on their minds. Suddenly Ed lets out a yawn, he was very tired all of a sudden.

"You need to rest, Edward," says Trisha, as she picks his tray up off of the bed and sets it aside.

"I guess," mumbles Ed, letting Trisha push him back down and cover him up.

"We'll all go to the living room. If you need anything, just shout," says Pinako.

"I won't be far, Little Man. Just call me," says Trisha, bending over and kissing Ed's forehead.

"Okay," says Ed, unable to keep his eyes open any longer. After that, everyone left the room to allow Ed to sleep in peace.

"Thank you, Pinako, for everything," says Trisha, as she follows Pinako to the kitchen with Ed's tray.

"Of course. It's not a problem," says Pinako. Trisha places the tray on the counter and turns on the water.

"Why don't I do these dishes for you?" suggests Trisha.

"Don't be silly," says Pinako.

"It's the least that I can do," says Trisha, as she adds soap to the water and watches the sink fill up. "We don't have a lot of money, just what Hoenheim sends us each month, and that's hardly enough to get us through. When he gets back, we can pay you for helping Edward, but for right now..." Trisha trails off.

"I understand, Trisha. But you and the boys are like family. Hoenheim asked me to help you three in any way that I can, and if that means treating Ed's wounds and giving him auto mail, then so be it," says Pinako.

"I want to repay you somehow. Please, allow me to help out around here. It's the only thing that I can do," says Trisha. Pinako sighs heavily. She knew that Trisha wouldn't let it go until she got her way. If she wanted to do the work so badly, then so be it.

"Alright. Have it your way. I'm going to go to the living room and listen for Ed," says Pinako, before walking out of the room. As Pinako was leaving, Al and Winry run in.

"Mom, can I go to the river with Winry?" asks Al.

"The river? I guess so, if you take Den with you, and be careful. Stay out of the water, you know you can't swim," says Trisha. Trisha knew that Den would watch over them. He was a good dog, and very protective of the kids.

"Okay," says Al.

"Thank you aunt Trisha," says Winry, and then they were running out the door calling for Den.

That night, Trisha and Al stayed the night, both of them sleeping in the living room. Trisha was on the couch, and Al was on some blankets on the floor. Trisha wasn't sleeping well, she was too worried about Edward. Just then she hears the most heart wrenching scream of fear and pain errupt from Ed's room.

The shock had caught up with him.

End Chapter

**A/N: Thank you for reading! And thank you for the reviews on chapter one! I fixed chapter one and this chapter, so now Ed has lost only his leg. It didn't take nearly as much doing as I had expected...Yeah...sorry about saying I was too lazy to fix this...I should have just sucked it up and fixed it. So I did, and hopefully everything is to your liking! I also changed Ed's age, I did so for a reason...and as far as automail goes...I'm not sure if I'll give him the automail arm in future chapters or not...please let me know if I should or not. I'm trying to make this as different from the events of the series as I can, without ruining the story...that's what's slowing me down...Things should hopefully speed up in the next chapter. **

**As always, comments, questions, concerns and ideas are welcome. Flames, are not. If you give me an idea and I like it and decide to use it, i will gladly give you credit for it! If I fail to give credit where it is due, please let me know and I will immediately fix it! Thank you once again! Sayonara! =**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

**A/N: Everyone has been amazing these first couple of chapters so I just wanted to say thank you, and I also wanted to catch you all up with what's going on. I edited chapters 1 and 2. So now Ed is only 7 and Al is 6. Also, Ed is only missing his leg. So, you may or may not want to go back and reread those chapters. So thanks again, and I hope that you all enjoy this chapter. **

_...Just then she hears the most heart wrenching scream of fear and pain erupt from Ed's room._

_ The shock had caught up with him. _

Trisha immediately gets up, stumbling in her rush to get to Edward. He was in trouble! She had to be there to help him however she could. When she gets into the room, Edward was curled up in the middle of the bed, clutching his stump, and sobbing uncontrollably.

"It's gone. It's gone. Mom, h-help me," he begs. Trisha wasn't sure if it was the shock talking, or if Ed realized that she was there, but she didn't care at that moment as she rushes to his side and gets into his bed so that she can pull him into her lap and hold him. She knew that he had to be in unbearable pain, and she wished that she could just make it go away.

"I'm here, baby, I'm here," whispers Trisha, as tears well up in her eyes. Ed clutches her shirt and buries his face into her stomach as his small body is wracked with sobs.

"It's gone! It's gone! It hurts momma," sobs Ed. Trisha runs her hands through Ed's hair in a gesture meant to comfort him.

"I know, Little Man. I know. Why don't I go get Pinako?" suggests Trisha.

"D-don't le-leave me," whimpers Ed, holding her shirt tighter. Trisha continues to run her hands through his hair.

"I won't baby. I promise. I'll stay here," says Trisha. "Alphonse! Al!" calls Trisha, loudly, not caring who she woke up. The whole house would more than like be awake very soon, anyway. It wasn't long before a sleepy Al walks through the door rubbing his eye.

"What's wrong?" asks Al, sleepily.

"I need you to go wake up Pinako. Tell her that Ed is hurting," says Trisha, urgently. Al was suddenly wide awake as he takes in Ed's shaking form in Trisha's lap. He was obviously crying very hard, and was clutching his stump with one hand, and her shirt with the other.

"It's gone! How can it be gone?" cries Ed. Al runs out of the room yelling for Pinako after that. Ed was definitely in a lot of pain, and he seemed delirious.

"You got hit by a train, sweetie. Remember?" asks Trisha. In response Edward cries even harder. He was practically hyperventilating now. It didn't take long for Pinako to show up with a syringe and small vile of medication.

"This should help with the pain, but it'll also put him to sleep," says Pinako, as she carefully measures some of the medication out into the syringe, before injecting it into his thigh. Edward screams when the needle enters his skin, but quickly begins to calm back down as the medicine takes effect. After about twenty minutes, Edward was asleep once again, but his grip on Trisha's shirt hadn't slackened at all.

"The shock must have hit him, I take it," says Pinako, as she watches Edward carefully for bad side effects of the medication.

"He just started screaming. And when I came in he was crying and kept talking about how his leg was gone, and how much it hurt," says Trisha, still a little frantic after the whole ordeal.

"That's to be expected I suppose," says Pinako, as she checks his pulse and listens to his breathing and heart beat. "Everything seems normal, for now. Why don't you keep an eye on him and wake me up if anything at all changes. I don't care what it is. Even if you just _think_ something seems off, come and get me. It's better to be safe than sorry."

"Okay," says Trisha. With that said, Pinako leaves the room, and Trisha spends the night running her fingers through Edward's hair. "Everything is going to be alright, Edward. You're Hoenheim's son after all. You're strong, and strong willed. I know that you'll get through this. And I'll be here every step of the way."

Trisha didn't know if Edward could hear her or not, but his hand let go of her shirt and took her hand instead. "Mom," he murmurs. Trisha smiles fondly at her oldest son, and watches him sleep peacefully the rest of the night.

A few weeks later, Ed was finally well enough to get out of bed, but he was confined to a wheelchair. And he hated it. Al and Winry had taken him outside for some fresh air and sunshine.

"This is so stupid! Why can't I just have crutches or something?" complains Ed. "Damn train! Why couldn't it stop?" Al and Winry look at each other and roll their eyes. They'd heard this rant a million times.

"If you hate it so much, just get auto mail! Your wounds are healed up enough that you could now," says Winry.

"Well, how long will that take?" asks Ed.

"My granny says that it takes three years," says Winry. This causes Ed to groan.

"That's way too long! Can't it happen any faster?" complains Ed.

"I don't know," says Winry.

"Why are you in such a hurry, brother?" asks Al.

"I have things I want to do, you know? I can't just sit around for three years!" explains Ed, impatiently.

"What's so important that you can't wait three years?" demands Winry, causing Ed to blush and look away.

"It's none of your damn business, Winry. All you need to know is that I need to get auto mail, and I need it to happen in less than three years!" retorts Ed.

"Why do you always have to be such a jerk, Ed?" demands Winry, before running away with tears in her eyes.

"That was mean, Ed. You should apologize to her," says Al, before turning and running after Winry, while calling her name.

"HEY! YOU CAN'T JUST LEAVE ME HERE LIKE THIS!" rants Ed. "HEY! ALPHONSE! GET BACK HERE AND TAKE ME HOME! I CAN'T GO UP THE HILL BY MYSELF! HEEEEY!" yells Ed, at the top of his lungs. Ed, deciding that Al was way out of ear shot by now, stops yelling and looks around at his surroundings. He was just outside of town now, they had been heading there to get some vegetables for his mom.

"Might as well, get them anyway. Maybe Al or Winry will come back and take me home soon," says Ed, thoughtfully, as he places the basket in his lap and wheels himself into town. When he gets there, several people stop and watch him as he makes his way to a farmer's vegetable stand. It was a little difficult, his arms weren't used to so much work, and usually Al or Winry, or his mom, would push the chair for him. When he finally reaches the stand, the farmer's wife seemed surprised to see him.

"Hello there, Edward. What are you doing here by yourself? Shouldn't your brother, or mother, be with you?" she asks.

"Yeah, Al and Winry were with me, but then Winry got mad at me and left so Al went after her, and left me," says Ed, nonchalantly. "I'm sure one of them will be back to get me. I thought I'd do the shopping we came here for."

"What can I do for you, then?"

"I need some potatoes, carrots, onions, tomatoes, and celery," says Edward. After the farmer's wife puts the vegetables in his basket and he pays, he ignores her sympathetic looks and moves on to the butcher shop. This time he had to go inside, but couldn't because of his wheelchair. The chair was getting in the way of his ability to open the door. That didn't stop Ed from trying though.

"You damn door. Think you're so smart because I'm too short to open you, while sitting in a wheelchair," grumbles Ed, as he stretches as far as he can, trying to reach the door. Then a woman walks over and pulls the door open for him.

"There you go, Edward. Would you like me to push your chair inside for you?" she asks. Edward glares at the open space in front of him.

"No. And I could have gotten it, you didn't have to come over and help me," grumbles Edward, embarrassed that she had to help him. Edward, wheels himself forward, only to be stopped by the threshold. "Dammit," he grumbles. The woman, smiles warmly and props the door open, before getting behind Edward's chair and pushing the chair through the door. Edward frowns and crosses his arms in front of his chest as she pushes him up to the counter.

"Hey there, kiddo. What can I get for you?" asks the butcher.

"My mom's making stew tonight and wanted a piece of meat to cut up and put in it," grumbles Ed.

"I've got just the thing," says the butcher, as he walks into the back to get something for Ed. When he come back with the meat wrapped up he hands it to Ed and rings it up.

"That'll be 500 cenz," says the butcher. Ed looks at the sign, and notices that the cheapest meat was 500 cenz per pound, but the meat in his hand was marked at being 4.60 pounds.

"Are you sure about that? Shouldn't it be more than that?" asks Ed, doing the math in his head. It should at least be 2000 cenz.

"I'm having a sale, so it's 500," says the butcher. Ed reaches into his pocket and drops some coins on the counter.

"Okay, whatever," says Edward, before the woman turns him around to push him out the door.

"Have a nice day, Edward! It's nice to see that you;re getting better!" calls the butcher. It's then that Ed realizes what had just happened, but before he could turn and confront him, he was outside again.

"Would you like me to take you somewhere else?" asks the woman. Ed glares at the ground.

"No, I can handle it on my own. I don't need your help, and I don't want your damned pity. Just, leave me alone," grumbles Edward, before wheeling himself away. This wasn't what he wanted! He didn't come into town so that everyone would give him special treatment or pity. Sure, he was missing a leg, but he could still do stuff on his own. He wasn't completely incompetent. At that moment Ed just wanted to throw the food onto the ground and say the hell with it all. But he knew that he couldn't do that.

Edward still had one more stop to make for his mom, so he turns and makes his way to the grocery store. He needed to get milk and bread for his mom. When he gets there, the door was already propped open, to let in the breeze that was blowing outside, it was a hot day in Resembool. The threshold wasn't a problem either, as Ed wheels himself into the store and goes to the refrigerated section and looks at the bottles of milk. They would need three half-pint sized bottles, and a pint sized bottle for the stew. Ed looks at the door of the cooler and groans. It was just like at the butcher shop.

Well this time he would prove that he didn't need any help. So he adjusts his chair so that he's right up next to the door, and grabs the handle, before pulling the door open, and using is free hand to wheel himself backwards until the door was completely open. And then he wheels himself around to the other side of the door and maneuvers the chair so that he can reach into the fridge. But the milk was too high.

"Dammit!" he yells, angrily. "Why does it have to be way up there?" Hearing Ed's shouting, the store clerk comes over to investigate and finds Ed attempting to stand, while the basket of vegetables and package of meat, slowly slips from his lap. The clerk rushes over and grabs the food just as it was about to hit the floor, and Ed, in surprise at the clerk's sudden appearance, falls back into his seat.

"Damn it all. What the hell do you think you're doing? I almost had it!" he screeches. The clerk looks at Edward in surprise. He had expected a thank you, not to be blown up at, by the child.

"You looked like you could use some help," says the clerk. "Your basket of vegetables and the package of meat were about to fall," he explains.

"I could have handled it! I had it! Why can't anyone just leave me alone?" demands Edward, angrily. The clerk looks at Edward's angry expression, the fire and determination in his eyes, and realizes what was wrong. He had known Edward and his family for years, and he knew that Edward was a very stubborn child, who often caused trouble in town. He was honest, and very vocal, which was a lot of why he would get into trouble so much. Being disabled had to be very difficult for someone who was so used to being able to do so much for himself.

"Edward, I understand how you feel – " starts the clerk, but he was interrupted.

"Like hell you do! Like _hell_! You don't know what I'm going through! No one in this damn town does!" rants Ed. The clerk decides to take a different route.

"What were you trying to get, Edward? I could get it for you," says the Clerk. Ed glares at him before speaking.

"3 half-pints and a pint," he grumbles.

"Okay," says the clerk, reaching into the fridge and pulling out the bottles of milk and placing them in Ed's lap along with his other purchases.

"I'll be up front if you need me," says the clerk, before walking away. Edward sighs heavily, and wheels himself to the bakery section of the store, where he gets a loaf of bread, before going to the register and paying for everything.

When he gets outside he finds Winry and Al, running around frantically, and calling his name. Winry is the first one to notice him.

"Al! I found him!' shouts Winry, before running over to him, Al not far behind.

"Brother, where have you been?" demands Al.

"I finished the shopping. Can we go home?" asks Ed, not looking at either one of them.

"Sure," says Al, getting behind Ed, and pushing him towards their house. Winry walks alongside of Ed.

"We're really sorry that we left you there like that," says Winry. Edward nods his acknowledgment, but he didn't want to talk about it.

"Was it hard to get everything?" asks Al. Ed shakes his head and looks down at the food in his lap. "Really?" asks Al.

"I had help," grumbles Ed.

"From who?" asks Winry.

"Mrs. Wentling, and Mr. Sammons," mumbles Ed, blushing. He was still embarrassed by needing help.

"That was nice of them. Did you thank them?" asks Al. Edward suddenly felt guilty. Mrs. Wentling and Mr. Sammons had gone out of their way to help him, and he had been too angry to thank them. He was still angry, but not at them. He was mad that he needed help. It wasn't fair. He had been perfectly healthy up until a few weeks ago. Edward decided not to tell Al that he hadn't, but he would remember to thank them next time.

End Chapter

**A/N: Thanks for reading this chapter. I know it's got a dumb ending, but I really didn't want to go any further than this with this chapter. I just wanted to give you a glimpse of what happened when the shock hit Ed, and how he felt about being in a wheelchair, some of the trials of being in the chair and trying to do simple tasks. Since I accomplished that, I was just looking for a somewhat tidy way to end the chapter. I hope you enjoyed it, and I'll start working on the next chapter very soon. Sayonara! =] **


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

At dinner, that night, Ed and Al had just sat down to eat, when there was a knock on the door. "I wonder who that could be," says Trisha, standing up and going to the front door. Ed and Al could hear a woman's voice talking to their mom, and when she came back she was being followed by a big muscular man and a woman with black dreadlocks up in a ponytail.

"Boys, this is Izumi and Sig Curtis. Their train was delayed due to weather, and are asking to stay the night," explains Trisha.

"Why can't they just stay at the inn?" asks Ed, glaring at Sig.

"The inn is filled, and everyone in town said that they didn't have room. Someone suggested that we come here. We're more than willing to pay you for the inconvenience," explains Izumi. "The inn was charging 25,000 cenz a night, so if you would like we could pay that much, as well as some cenz for a meal."

"A meal at the inn costs 10,000 cenz, per person," says Ed, before going back to glaring at Sig. Sig was huge and scary looking, Ed wasn't sure that he trusted these people.

"Okay then. We'll pay you 50,000 cenz," says Izumi, turning to Trisha.

"I couldn't charge you. You're in need, and we have plenty. Please, have a seat, and I'll get some more bowls," says Trisha, motioning towards the table, before walking to the kitchen. Once Trisha was gone, Izumi and Sig sit down in the two empty seats.

"You're sitting in my mom's spot," says Ed, glaring at Izumi now.

"Oh, I'm sorry," says Izumi, before standing back up.

"Brother, don't be rude," chastises Al, before getting up. "I'll go get the extra chair out of the kitchen."

"Thank you, young man," says Izumi, cheerfully. Al smiles at her before walking out of the room. "So what's your name?" asks Izumi, looking at Ed, who was still glaring at them.

"Ed," he says, bluntly. Just then Alphonse comes back, empty handed and looking sheepish.

"I'm sorry, but it turns out that that chair is broken, but you can use mine," says Al.

"Why don't you go get it anyway? I'll fix it," says Izumi. Al seemed skeptic, but he goes back to the kitchen and comes back with the chair. The one of the legs was broken, and Al had the broken piece clutched between his teeth. When he reaches Izumi, he hands her the broken piece and sets the chair down in front of her.

"Thank you, what's your name?" she asks, as she lays the leg next to the chair and claps her hands in front of her.

"My name is Alphonse, but you can just call me Al." Izumi places her hands on the chair and suddenly the area around the chair lights up with blue and white lightening as she performs alchemy on the broken chair, and when she's finished it looked as though it had never been broken.

"Wow, you can do alchemy without a circle! How do you do that?" asks Ed, amazed. Suddenly Izumi looked somewhat sad.

"It's something you learn when you learn the truth," says Izumi.

"What truth?" asks Al. Before Izumi could answer, Trisha comes back with two bowls of soup.

"Here's the soup. Is milk alright to drink?" asks Trisha.

"Milk would be great, thank you, Mrs. Elric," says Izumi, as she sits down. Trisha walks back out to the kitchen.

"So, how do you learn the truth?" asks Ed, looking into Izumi's eyes.

"Through alchemy," says Izumi, looking into Ed's eyes, willing him to not ask anymore.

"Could you teach us alchemy?" asks Al, excited.

"Alchemy? Why would you want to learn that?" asks Izumi.

"We know the basics, but we need to learn more," says Ed, and Izumi could see the determination in his eyes.

"Who taught you the basics?" asks Izumi.

"No one, we taught ourselves," says Edward, with such anger in his voice, that Izumi wondered if he thought someone should have taught him and hadn't.

"How old are you?" asks Izumi.

"Seven," says Ed. Then Trisha comes back again and gives Izumi and Sig their milk and some bread.

"Is there anything else that anyone needs?" asks Trisha. When everyone says no, Trisha sits down and begins to eat.

"This is delicious," says Izumi.

"Thank you," says Trisha, happily.

"Your son tells me that he's seven years old and already knows alchemy. That's quite the accomplishment," says Izumi.

"Yes. They're definitely Hoenheim's sons, both of them. They've been able to do alchemy since they were toddlers, and all without Hoenheim's help," says Trisha, proudly. The way that Edward had begun glaring, Izumi knew that he was upset with Hoenheim. Hoenheim was supposed to teach them, and for whatever reason, he hadn't.

"That name, Hoenheim, it sounds familiar," mentions Sig. Izumi realizes that Sig was right. She, too, had heard that name before.

"I'm not surprised. My husband is a well known alchemist. He's been all over the country studying all sorts of alchemy. That's where he is now, actually," says Trisha, with a hint of sadness in her voice.

"Really? How amazing," says Izumi, cheerfully.

"It would seem that Ed and Al have inherited his skill of alchemy as well. They're so gifted for their age," says Trisha, proudly.

"What sorts of things can you boys do?" asks Izumi, turning her attention to Ed and Al.

"We make things, but Ed is much better at it than I am," admits Al, proudly. "He's the one who taught me. He teaches me everything he learns."

"Most seven year olds can barely read, let alone do alchemy," says Izumi, thoughtfully.

"We understand enough to do alchemy, but we still need to learn more. It'd work out better if we had a teacher," says Ed, pointedly.

"Aren't you boys needed here?" asks Izumi. "Besides, you can't train under me in that wheelchair."

"I don't plan on staying in this chair. I'm going to get auto mail," says Ed.

"Auto mail has a long recovery and rehabilitation period. I don't have time to wait around for some child to get that done."

"Just give me one year, and I'd be ready," says Ed.

"Edward, you couldn't do all of that in a year. Pinako said that it couldn't be rushed," says Trisha, worried.

"I can, and I will!" shouts Ed, glaring at Trisha. "Just you watch, lady! In one year I'll be knocking on your door!" says Edward, stubbornly, as he turns his glare to Izumi.

"Alright. Deal. I'll give you my address. You have exactly one year," says Izumi. "And if you show up at my door in one year, I'll start your training that day, but if you're even 1 minute past midnight of this day, next year, then I'm sending you back here to Resembool, and you can find a new teacher."

"Deal," says Ed, holding his hand out to shake hers. Al also holds his hand out, and Izumi shakes them both.

"Are you sure that you want to take on my boys?" asks Trisha, looking at Izumi and Sig. "They can be a handful."

"Oh, I don't think I'll have any problem taking care of them," says Izumi, while giving Ed and Al such a scary look that they began to wonder just what it was that they were getting themselves into.

That evening, Ed and Al were in their room. Al was trying to sleep, but Ed was wide awake.

"Brother? Why did you say that to Miss Izumi?" asks Al, from his place on the top bunk.

"Say what?" asks Ed.

"That you would be ready in a year. Aunt Pinako said it would take three years. Why the rush?" asks Al.

"I was going to rush things anyway, learning alchemy from that lady is just more motivation," says Ed.

"Why? What are you in such a hurry to get to?" asks Al. Ed sits up in the bed and pulls back the covers to look at his stump. It was still wrapped up and not fully healed, but it was ready for auto mail surgery.

"I've decided that we're going to go find Hoenheim. Mom needs him to come home," says Ed.

"Are you sure it's mom who needs him and not you?" asks Al, matter-of-factually.

"What? No! I don't need that stupid bastard! But lately all mom does is talk about him, and she's gotten sadder. Him being gone is hurting her more than she's willing to admit," says Ed, says Ed, sadly. "The sooner I can walk, the sooner we can go. And it couldn't hurt to learn more alchemy before we leave. Who knows what we'll come across."

"Why do you keep saying 'we'? What if I don't want to go with you? What if I want to stay with mom?" asks Al, sadly. Ed hadn't thought about that when he'd made his plans. He had just assumed that Al would follow him, just like always.

"I guess if you want to stay here, you can. Someone should stay and help mom anyway. I'll just go on my own," says Ed, looking out the window. He didn't like the idea of going alone, but if it was what Al wanted, who was he to force him to go?

"How about I think about it? I have a year, right?" asks Al. That made Ed feel slightly better. Maybe in a year Al would change his mind and go with him, but he would let him decide on his own.

"Okay. Just don't tell mom about my plans, okay?" says Ed.

"Okay, brother, I promise that I won't tell her," says Al.

End Chapter

**A/N: Thanks for reading chapter four. I'm not thrilled with this chapter, but I suppose it will do. Having Izumi and Sig stay the night due to the train being delayed was just a spur of the moment decision, and gave me a decent way of getting them to meet Ed and Al. The broken chair was a good way to have Izumi show off her alchemy skills, and Izumi and Ed's bargain was a good way of getting Ed to do the whole auto mail thing in a year. I swear that this isn't going to be like the series. Ed and Al aren't going to go on a philosopher's stone hunt or join the military, BUT the military will still be involved, I just won't tell you how. So, comments, suggestions, questions? Liked it? Hated it? Please let me know in the form of a review! No flames! Sayonara! =]**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

It had been three days since Izumi and Sig had left, and Edward was now at Pinako's being prepped for auto mail surgery. Trisha, was sitting next to Ed, with Al in her lap, and she had Ed's and in one of her hands and Al's in the other, on her lap. "You don't have to do this, sweetie. You can wait a little longer. There's no rush," says Trisha, reassuringly. It wasn't that she never wanted Ed to have the surgery, but she was worried for him. She had heard stories from Pinako, of grown men, _soldiers_, screaming in pain during the procedure. If they couldn't handle it, then what chance did her seven year old son have?

"I'm going to do this, mom. I'll be fine, you'll see," says Ed, tightening his grip on her hand, reassuringly. "Besides, if I want to see that lady in one year, I can't wait any longer." he had said it with a grin on his face, but Trisha was certain that he was scared. He had to be. It was just too much for her little man to have to go through at such a young age. And Pinako had already told her that she and Al had to wait outside until it was over, so she couldn't be there to hold his hand or whisper words of encouragement to him.

"You could always find a different teacher. I'd bet when dad gets home, he'd be more than happy to show you how to do alchemy, brother. He can show both of us," says Al, cheerfully. This caused Edward to glare at Al, and growl.

"He's _not_ coming back! How many times do I have to say that? He _ditched_ us! That woman in Dublith is my only hope of learning alchemy, and she's giving me one year to get through this! I can't afford to waste anymore time!" screeches Ed, angrily. Al knew what his plans were, so he wondered why he was saying anything. Maybe it was his way of talking Ed out of the whole thing.

"Your father said that he would return, Edward. He promised me that, and he's a man of his word," says Trisha, obviously hurt by Ed's words. Suddenly, Ed was wracked with guilt for hurting his mother's feelings like that. It hadn't been his intention. But before he could apologize Pinako came over with a syringe and gave him a shot of painkillers.

"This won't do much, but you'll be glad to have it. Trisha, Alphonse, we're going to start now," says Pinako. Trisha nods and sets Al on the floor before standing up to bend over the bed and kiss Ed's forehead.

"We'll be right outside, little man. Be strong, okay?" says Trisha, giving his stump a reassuring squeeze, before turning to walk out of the room, hesitantly. Al looks at Ed for a while before taking a deep breath and letting it out in a huge sigh, before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small metal figuring of a suit of armor, that looked like the one in their father's study. He holds it out to Ed, who takes it.

"That will protect you while mom and I are out there waiting, okay? So just be strong, and remember that we're here for you," says Al, blushing in embarrassment, at telling his big brother such girly things, things that usually only came from Winry.

"Thanks, Alphonse. I appreciate it," says Ed, watching as Al pauses and looks over hsi shoulder at Ed, a small, reassuring smile on his face, before turning and running out of the room. Ed looks down at the suit of armor in his hand and smiles at the detail Al had managed to put into it.

Al's attempts at transmutation often turned out lopsided or a little off, but he must have put extra effort into this, because it was perfectly scaled to the armor in their father's study, it even had all of the spikes. When Ed turns it over though he finds a transmutation circle etched into the back, It looked like a very complicated star with eight points and a squiggle that began at the very top of the circle and curled in the very center of the star. **(I hope you all know what I'm describing here. Sorry if it's a sucky description.)**

Ed didn't recognize the circle, and noted to ask Al about it when everything was done. He had a feeling that it was special though.

"Are you ready, Edward?" asks Pinako, as she approaches, with Winry not far before, looking eager, but also a little nervous.

"As ready as I'll ever be," says Ed, clutching the figuring in his hand, tightly.

"Do you remember everything that I told you about this procedure? It's going to be long and painful. You'll have to be conscious the whole entire time, but you can cover your eyes if you must," says Pinako.

"I remember. Just get on with it," says Ed, laying back and taking a deep breath to try and calm his sudden nerves. He had been fine up until this point, but it hadn't been as real before. It was just theory before, now it was actually happening. He was really going to go through with getting auto mail.

"Okay, we're going to start off by disinfecting the area that we'll be doing the surgery on. So nothing painful just yet," says Pinako, in a calm, professional tone, before Ed felt something wet and cold being rubbed all over his stump. It was cold, but not painful. Once that was over, Ed was tense again.

"Winry, make sure his traps are good and tight, we don't want him to be able to move and mess us up," says Pinako, as she begins rubbing his stump with something else. While Pinako worked on disinfecting his stump, Winry got to work checking and tightening his restraints. She then moves to his top half to restrain his arms and torso, which hadn't been held down before. When she was restraining his right hand she noticed that he had his hand in a grip.

"What's in your hand?" whispers Winry, so that Pinako couldn't hear her.

"Nothing," whispers Ed, harshly. He didn't want them to make him get rid of the figurine that Al had made him.

"Show me," whispers Winry, trying to pry his hand open. She finally gets it and looks at the little suit of armor.

"Give it back! Al made it for me!" snaps Ed, trying to free his hand so that he could snatch it from her. Winry looks down at the armor and sighs before handing it back to Ed.

"Fine, I won't tell. Just keep a hold of it," says Winry, before re-tightening his restraint and walking back over to Pinako, who had just finished disinfecting him.

"Okay, you ready, kid? We're onto the painful part. If at any time you need a break, let us know," says Pinako.

"It's not too late to turn back, Edward. This is your last chance to back out," says Winry, wishing that he would, but also hoping that he decides to go through with it, for his sake.

"I'm not backing out, so just get on with it," says Ed, before taking one last deep breath and letting it out. Little did he know that it was going to be a lot of holding his breath or gasping for it for the next few hours.

Outside in the hallway, Al was playing with a toy truck on the floor, while Trisha attempted to read a book that she had brought along. But she wasn't getting anywhere, she was too worried about her son, who was a mere ten feet away, and the only thing in her way was a door that was two inches thick. Suddenly Al stops playing with his truck and climbs into Trisha's lap before wrapping his arms around her and burying his face in the crook of her neck. Trisha wraps her arms around her youngest son and rubs his back in a comforting gesture.

"He'll be fine, he's a strong boy," whispers Trisha.

"What if he's not as strong as we think?" asks Al, worriedly.

"I think we underestimate him. I think he's far stronger than we give him credit for," says Trisha, as tears well up in her eyes. She wished that Hoenheim were there for them at that moment. He would know what to say.

"Do you think that Dad is there for him in spirit at least?" asks Al. He knew that their father was alive, but maybe he was thinking of them right now. Maybe he knew what had happened to Ed and was thinking about him.

"Yes, I know he is," whispers Trisha, her voice cracking. Al notices the change in her voice and lifts his head to look at her. He's surprised to see that she's crying, and wipes her tears away.

"Please, don't cry, mom. Everything will be alright," says Al, tears welling up in his own eyes. Trisha pulls Al's head back down and lays it against the crook of her neck, before laying her forehead on his shoulder.

"I know it will, Alphonse. Thank you," whispers Trisha. They sat that way for a long time, listening for any signs that Ed was in pain, but they hadn't heard much. They could only hear Pinako and Winry's voices, but they were muffled and hard to discern what was being said. Every once in a great while they would hear Ed's voice, but it, too, was muffled by the door. At one point curiousity gets the better of Al and he climbs off of Trisha's lap before going to the door and opening it a crack.

Sound flooded the hallway then. They could hear Pinako explaining everything that was going on to Edward, and Winry was trying to encourage Ed and tell him that they would be done soon. For Ed's part, all they could hear were pained grunts he emitted once in a while. "Most men would be screaming right now, Edward. We're attaching your nerves to the port," says Pinako, sounding surprised.

"This is nothing. Not compared to the emotional pain that my mom and brother go through every day that Hoenheim isn't there," grunts Ed, breathlessly. "Every day that he's gone they hurt more and more. And I can't fix it anymore."

"I'm sure that they'll be just fine. Right now we need to focus on fixing you," says Pinako, in a way that implied that she thought that Ed might be a little delirious. It's at that point that Winry notices that Al was peeking into the small opening in the door.

"Get out, Al!" chastises Winry, causing Al to close the door quickly. When he looks over at Trisha, she looked surprised, and tears were running down her face again.

"He seems to be doing okay. He's not crying or anything," says Al, cheerfully. Trisha looks at Al and holds her arms out to him. Al walks into her arms and she pulls him into a hug.

"He thinks that we're in pain," says Trisha. "And he's been trying to shoulder it all for us." Al could tell that his mom felt guilty about what Ed had said.

"He's just feverish, mom. He doesn't know what he's saying," lies Al. He knew that Ed knew exactly what he had said, but he didn't want his mom to be guilty. Trisha's grip tightens.

"I'm sorry for putting you boys through so much," says Trisha.

"It's not like that, mom. You're not putting us through anything," says Al, reassuringly. After that it was silent, except for Trisha's sobs.

A couple of hours later, Pinako walks out removing her gloves and looking worn out. "He's all done. You may see him, but not for very long, he needs his rest. We only attached the port, we'll do the leg another day, once we're sure that his body can handle the port," says Pinako.

"Thank you, Pinako," says Trisha, before getting up and going into the room, Al, not far behind.

End Chapter

**A/N: Thanks for reading chapter five. Would have had this posted sooner, but my computer made a suicide attempt and I had to put the recovery disk in it to save it. Thus losing what I had originally had written. Ugh...stupid computer. It needs counseling. So, at first the figurine was going to be a dog, and then I was like "Hey! This is the perfect opportunity to make a reference to Al being in the armor...and the blood seal!" ...not sure why I felt the need to add the blood seal, but I'm sure I'll come up with something when I have to... So... this was supposed to be an emotional chapter, hopefully I didn't get too dramatic or not dramatic enough...erm...there was something else I wanted to mention...what was it?...OH! Sorry about lack of details in Ed's surgery. I can BS a lot of things, but I wasn't going to attempt to BS _that_. So, hopefully what I had was okay...I was also going to end things a lot sooner, but it didn't seem right, so I kept going until I got to where I ended it...hopefully y'all like that too...so...as always, Questions, comments, suggestions? liked it? Hated it? Let me know in the form of a review! Sayonara! =]**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

When Trisha got into the room Edward was laying on the bed with the covers pulled up over his body. His face was pale, but his cheeks were red from his fever. He looked so small and helpless in that bed that Trisha couldn't help but practically run to his side. When she gets to him, Edward opens his eyes and looks up at her. "Hey mom," he says, his voice weak and raspy from trying to hold back his screams of pain, and from all of his grunts of pain.

"Hey there, sweetheart. How are you feeling?" asks Trisha, reaching out and grabbing his hand. Ed looks up at Trisha's face and smiles weakly.

"I made it through without crying," he says proudly.

"I know, and I'm so proud of you, little man. You did great," says Trisha, her voice beginning to break as she tries to hold back her tears. Seeing her oldest son in that bed, weak and helpless, was almost more than she could stand at that moment. At that moment Al walks over and sits on the edge of the bed.

"How are you feeling, brother?" asks Al.

"Sore. If I thought that losing my leg was painful, I didn't know painful," admits Ed, reaching down and grabbing the sheets above his stump. "Now I know why granny said that those men screamed. I wasn't ready for that pain."

"But you didn't cry. I saw you. You weren't crying, but you were talking," says Alphonse.

"Talking was the only way to ignore the pain," says Ed, as his grip on Trisha's hand tightens.

"Did my gift help?" asks Al. Ed grins and opens his left hand to reveal the the little armor figurine that Al had made for him.

"It sure did. Knowing that you and mom were out there supporting me made everything more bearable," says Ed, proudly. He lifts up the figurine and looks at it."This is your best work yet, Al. Thank you."

Al blushes at the praise, but grins despite his embarrassment. "I'm glad that you like it, brother," says Al.

"May I see?" asks Trisha, holding out her free hand. Ed hands it to her and Trisha looks at it.

"This is stunning Alphonse. Hoenheim would be proud," she says happily. Edward growls and turns his head away. He didn't want to hear about Hoenheim right now. Trisha notices Ed's unhappiness and sighs heavily.

"Why do you hate your father so much, Edward?" asks Trisha, sadly. She didn't like seeing her son so blatantly dislike his father. It wasn't right. Edward looks at Trisha, surprised by her question and the sadness in her tone. And it was his fault, because he was holding a grudge against Hoenheim.

"I don't want to talk about it right now. I'm too tired," he mumbles, averting his gaze away from his mother's and brother's worried expressions.

"Okay, sweetie. We'll let you sleep," says Trisha. Al nods and gets off of the bed.

"I hope you get better soon, brother," says Al, before walking out. Trisha kisses Ed's forehead before standing up.

"I'll be right outside if you need me," says Trisha, before walking out of the room as well.

A year passes by quickly as Edward goes through the rehabilitation involved in getting auto mail. It had been a trying year for everyone, and at some points things seemed hopeless, but as promised, Ed had done it in a year, and now he was ready to go to Dublith to begin his training, but he still had a week before he had to go there, so he was busy getting prepared at home.

Edward was in his room going through his dresser, and pulling out clothes that he was thinking about packing, when Al walks into the room. "So, you're really going to go through with it, brother?" asks Al. He had wanted to have this conversation sooner, but their mom was always nearby, and at that moment she was in town getting groceries, so he saw it as a good opportunity to talk to Ed about his plans.

"Of course. Why wouldn't I go through with my plans? Mom already said that I could go to Dublith anyway. Aren't you going to?" asks Ed.

"I'm not talking about us going to Dublith, brother. I'm talking about you going off to look for our dad," says Al, walking over to their bunk bed and sitting on the bottom bunk. After fighting over who would get the top and bottom bunk, it had been decided that they would alternate. Tonight it was Ed's turn to be on the top bunk.

"I'm not going to let mom suffer anymore. I got this leg so that I could go looking for him, if I don't, then all of that hard work would be wasted, and we both know it," says Ed, and Al could see the fire of determination in his eyes. He knew that he could talk until he was blue in the face, but it wasn't going to change Ed's mind on this.

"What if I still don't want to go?" asks Al, looking down at his hands. "What if I just want to stay home with mom?" Ed stops what he's doing and turns to look at Al for the first time since he had come in.

"You still feel that way? After everything that has happened this year? You still don't want to help me look for him?" asks Ed, obviously hurt that Al didn't want to go with him.

"He said that he would come back. Why can't we just wait for that to happen?" asks Al. Ed glares at Al for a long time before speaking.

"Fine! If you want to wait here for him then go for it! But I'm going to go out there and look for him!" says Ed, angrily before stomping out of the room, slamming the door behind him. Al sighs heavily and lays back on the bed, staring at the bottom of the top bunk. Why couldn't Ed see that what he was doing was dangerous and unnecessary?

When Ed gets outside he see his mom coming up the path to their house trying to balance a large box, a bag, and a basket. Worried, Ed runs out to Trisha just in time to catch the bag of groceries. "Thank you, Edward. That was good timing," says Trisha, cheerfully. Ed grins at the praise and takes the basket from Trisha as well.

"What's in the box, mom?" asks Ed.

"You'll just have to wait and see," says Trisha, with a mischievous glint in her eye that Ed knew meant that his mom was up to something. And whenever she was up to something it always ended well for he and Alphonse.

"Okay!" he says, happily.

"Where's Alphonse?" asks Trisha, as they approach the house.

"He's in the house," says Ed, somewhat guiltily. Trisha could hear the guilt and wondered what had happened in her absence, but she didn't voice it. She would let Ed and Al sort it out on their own. That usually ended better than when she tried to force them to apologize to each other.

"I'm going to make a roast for dinner, does that sound alright?" asks Trisha, as they enter the house.

"That sounds great! Will it have carrots and potatoes too?" asks Ed, hopefully.

"Of course. And rolls as well," says Trisha, as they enter the kitchen and Ed places the bag and basket onto the counter.

"I'm going to go tell Al," says Ed, happily, before running out of the room. When he goes back to their room he finds Al laying on his side on the bottom bunk looking at the armor figurine he had made for Ed when Ed had had his surgery.

"Mom's making a roast with potatoes and carrots for dinner," says Edward, hesitantly. "She even bought rolls."

"Okay," says Al, flatly. Ed walks over and sits down next to Al.

"You know, I look at that every night before I go to bed, and I think 'my little brother made this for me' and I know that you'll always be there for me. Even if only in spirit," says Ed, reaching out and running a finger down the small statue. Al flips over the figurine and points at the transmutation circle.

"Do you know what this circle is for?" asks Al. Ed had tried to look up the circle after his surgery. Originally he was going to just ask Al, but he thought it would be more fun to look it up for himself. But he had been unable to find it in any of their dad's books. When Ed shakes his head, Al continues. "It's for a spirit attachment." When Ed immediately pulls his hand back Al laughs. "Do you really think I would put such a dangerous transmutation circle on something without making sure that it couldn't be used?" Al points at the star; there were some small spots that weren't filled in all the way making the transmutation circle broken and therefor useless.

"So why did you choose that transmutation circle? And where did you find it?" asks Ed. Al reaches inside his pillow case and pulls out a piece of paper before handing it to Ed. It was a page from one of the books. Al had torn it out. On the page was an explanation of the circle.

"I used it to symbolize that I would always be with you, even if only in spirit," explains Al. "You're going on this mission to find dad, but I'm going to stay here to be with mom, so that she's not alone while you're gone. I don't think she could handle both of us running off at the same time like that. So I'll stay here and keep you updated on where dad's letters come from when they come in. That way you can try to meet him up or maybe get one step ahead of him somehow. It couldn't hurt, right?" asks Al. Ed seemed to think about what Al was saying and then he grins.

"That's great! You're the best!" says Ed, excitedly before hugging Al. "Yeah. I can call and check in and you can give me updates on dad's letters." Al could see the wheels in Ed's head had begun to turn once again now that his plans had changed, even if they hadn't changed that much. "Having you here would probably be more useful than if I had Winry watch mom for me anyway." Al smiles and then laughs.

"Mom isn't a baby, Ed. She doesn't need babysat," says Al, amused by the image in his head of Winry watching their mother.

"I know that! It's just...she gets sadder and sadder every year that dad doesn't show up. And after our training I won't be here either. She might get even sadder. So it would probably be better that you're here with her anyway. At least you're her son. Winry is just some girl," explains Ed.

"You wouldn't have to worry about her at all if you just got your training and then stayed here," says Al, in a small voice. He knew that he couldn't change Ed's mind, not in a million years, but he couldn't help but try when the opportunity arose.

"I probably won't be gone that long anyway," says Ed. "And I'll come back and visit often enough that she won't have to miss me for very long periods at a time."

"I guess the only thing you can do is try. Maybe you're right," says Al, but he had a feeling that Ed was wrong. He knew that Ed was probably going to worry their mother sick.

"Boys! Could you come help me outside?" calls Trisha, from the front room.

"Coming!' they both shout in unison.

"Race you," says Ed, before getting up and running out of the room.

"No fair, you got a head start!" shouts Al, tossing the armor figurine aside and running after him.

End Chapter

**A/N: Thanks for reading chapter six! Sorry I didn't have it posted sooner, but my computer finally committed suicide and I had to wait a week to get a new one. Otherwise this would have been posted sooner, and it probably would have come out better than this, but I couldn't remember what I had originally typed. This chapter is a little short page wise, but it's long word wise...but I'm satisfied with it regardless. For those who don't know, I try to make me stories five pages long and 1500 words or more...This one is four pages and about 2000 words...so its all good in my opinion. Hope you liked it. Let me know, okay? As always, questions, comments, suggestions? Liked it? Hated it? Let me know in a review! Also, if you have ideas, or there's something you would like to see, let me know, and I'll see what I can do. I even give credit! Sayonara! =]**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

It was now the day before Ed and Al were scheduled to leave Resembool and go to Dublith to begin their training. Ed was outside doing his stretches that he had learned during rehabilitation, and Al was holding a stray kitten that he had come across wondering around their yard. "Hey Al, put that cat down and come help me stretch," says Ed, as he stands several feet from Al with his hands on his hips. Al sets the kitten aside and gets up.

"Coming, brother," says Al, as Ed lays down on the ground and waits for Al. When Al reaches him, Ed lifts his right leg first and Al grabs his ankle, before pushing it back so that his knee was only a few inches from his chest. "Is that too much?" asks Al. Ed grunts and shakes his head.

"Push a little harder," says Ed. Al was worried that he would hurt Ed if he pushed any harder, but Ed knew better what he was feeling than Al did, so Al did as he asked, managing to push his leg back a couple more inches before Ed grunts again, this time it sounded more like a pained grunt though.

"OUCH! NOT _THAT_ FAR,AL!" he screeches, causing Al to immediately let go. Ed lets his leg fall to the ground and sighs heavily. Ed lifts his left leg and Al eyes the auto mail warily before grabbing the cold metal ankle and pushing his leg back, though not as far as the right leg. He knew that the leg still wasn't 100 percent healed, and he didn't want to do any damage to the port. He knew that it would hurt Ed more than losing his leg ever had.

"Keep pushing, it'll go a little further," says Ed, but Al could tell that Ed was being extra cautious as well. Al nods and slowly begins pushing his leg back bit by bit, watching Ed's face the whole time for signs of pain or discomfort. When Al gets the leg back as far as he had gotten the right leg he stops and looks at Ed.

"Are you okay, brother?" asks Al.

"Yeah, you can let go now," says Ed, he sounded normal, but Al could hear the discomfort in Ed's voice. Al lets go and takes a step back, before reaching down to grab Ed's hand and pull him to his feet. Just then, Trisha walks out carrying two boxes.

"What are you two doing?" asks Trisha, before taking a seat in the grass under the tree. Ed and Al walk over to her and sit on both sides of her.

"I was helping Ed stretch his legs," says Al, cheerfully.

"Really? How nice of you," says Trisha, happily. "For that, I'll let you open your present first."

"'Present'?" asks Al, his face lighting up as Trisha lays a box in his lap and the other box in Ed's lap.

"Yep. I got them for the two of you, since you'll be going to Dublith to learn alchemy from Mrs. Curtis. I just thought that you could both use something. So go ahead, Al. Ed you can open yours after Al," explains Trisha. Ed pouts about not being allowed to open his gift yet, but he watches as Al opens his box and his face lights up as he pulls out a journal and a messenger bag. The bag was a plain tan bag made of canvas, but it had a red flamel embroidered into the bottom left corner of the flap that closed the bag. The Journal was a plain black book with a red ribbon for a book mark.

"WOW! Thank you, mom!" says Al, excitedly before throwing his arms around Trisha and hugging her. Trisha smiles and hugs Al back, before turning to Ed.

"Okay, Edward, it's your turn now," says Trisha, Ed grins and immediately tears into the box. When he looks inside he's confused at first. There was so much red. He reaches into the box and pulls out a jacket. Turning it around he finds a large black flamel had been sewn in the middle of the jacket, between where his shoulders would have been. It was a light jacket, good for cool nights like that night, but not so heavy that he couldn't wear it during the day when it was a little warmer. His box also held a journal, but his was brown instead of black and had a green ribbon for a book mark.

Ed stands up and puts the jacket on and was pleased to find that it fit him perfectly. "You look very handsome, Edward. Do you like it?" asks Trisha. Ed grins and nods before hugging his mom.

"Thank you, so much," says Ed, choking up a little. They were going to be leaving in the morning, and he didn't know how long they would be gone. He was going to miss his mom. Trisha hugs Ed tightly and kisses his cheek.

"You're welcome, little man. I'm glad that you like it," she says.

**(Ya'll know what happens in Dublith, so I don't really feel the need to go into details here...if you're really that opposed to the idea though leave me a review and I will make a bonus chapter or story or something. I just want to get this story moving. I've dragged this out long enough.) **

Training under Izumi Curtis had been extremely difficult. She definitely hadn't been easy on them, but along with their alchemy training, they had learned to fight and how to properly channel their energy into something useful. They didn't think they could have picked a better teacher, even if she did scare the hell out of them.

The training had taken two years, and they had seen their mother a total of eight times in that period of time. During the holidays, Izumi would allow them to see their mother for about a week at a time.

Now Ed and Al were seated on a train headed for Resembool, this time it was to tell their mom that they had passed Izumi's training and were home for good. Well, Al was home for good, Ed was trying to figure out a good excuse to leave again in about a week, so that he could go to search for Hoenheim.

"Why don't you say that it's part of your training? Tell mom that Teacher told us that we should go out and explore Amestris, and use our alchemy. It's not exactly a lie anyway. I'll just tell her that I didn't want to go," says Al.

"That could work," says Ed, brightening up now that he had a plan. "Yeah! You're brilliant Al! What would I ever do without you?"

"You're about to find out, Brother," says Al, with a grin, but Ed could hear a little bit of Al's sadness in his voice.

"You could still change your mind and go with me," says Ed.

"No, I want to be with mom. Don't worry, we'll keep in touch," says Al, with a sad nods his head in agreement, and Al could see his determination in his eyes once more. It hadn't faded at all while they had been training, if anything it had gotten stronger, harder to ignore. Ed was going to travel all over Amestris in search of their father, and no one, not even their mother, would talk him out of it.

When they got home, Trisha was waiting at the train station with Winry and Den. Ed and Al immediately run to her and pull her into a group hug. "Welcome back, boys. I've missed you both," says Trisha, as she wraps her arms around them both and kisses both of their heads.

"We've missed you too," says Ed.

"Miss Izumi wanted us to tell you that she said 'hi'." adds Al. Trisha smiles and lets go of Ed and Al. Then it was Winry's turn to hug them.

"Welcome back! I've missed you two!" she says, happily. Ed and Al blush as they hug her back.

"Come on, lets go home. I'm making stew," says Trisha, as she grabs their bags. Ed is quick to take the bags for her and they leave the station, walking towards their home, as Al tells their mom about their training. "It sounds like you have a touch teacher, but I can also tell that she cared about you boys, very much."

"Yeah. She was nice, but she could be really scary too," says Al, happily. Ed was lost in thoughts of his next plan, so he hadn't noticed when Winry began walking next to him.

"How's your leg?" she asks, eying his left leg.

"It's _fine_, Winry. How many times do I have to tell you that?" complains Ed.

"I haven't seen you in five months, Edward. I can't help but be worried about what could have happened in that time," retorts Winry.

"Well you shouldn't! I took care of it just like I was supposed to," argues Ed.

"Only because Teacher made you," teases Al. That was true. Izumi would constantly ride him about his auto mail. She knew everything that he was supposed to do to maintain it, and she made sure that he did everything to the letter. Even if that meant staying in the bathroom with Ed while he bathed, just to make sure that he dried his leg properly when he got out. She would always go on and on about how the rest of his body couldn't function at its very best if even one little thing was wrong with any part of him.

"Good. You shouldn't go slacking off though, just because she's not there to tell you what to do," says Winry.

"I won't! Quit nagging me!" argues Ed.

"Edward! You shouldn't talk to Winry that way. She's only trying to help," chastises Trisha, causing Ed to feel guilty for making his mom mad at him.

"Sorry, Win," mumbles Ed.

"Apology accepted," says Winry.

When they get home, Ed and Al go to their room and unpack before going into the kitchen to find their mom cutting up carrots for stew. "Do you want some help?" asks Ed, as they both walk over to the table and sit down.

"Sure. Why don't one of you peel potatoes and the other can cut them," says Trisha, laying a vegetable peeler and paring knife in front of them.

"I'll cut them. Ed got to last time," says Al, grabbing the knife before Ed could argue. Ed opens his mouth to argue, but Trisha beats him to it.

"He's right, Edward. You can cut the potatoes the next time," says Trisha, before going back to cutting up carrots. Edward groans, but picks up the vegetable peeler. "So, tell me all about your last few months in Dublith," says Trisha.

"We learned all about different material make up, and we finally perfected our details in our alchemy. We can finally make anything look exactly how we pictured it in our heads," says Al, excitedly.

Ed could see that this was the perfect time to bring up the 'extra training' that he was supposed to do. So, with some hesitation, he began speaking. "Teacher wants us to go out and put our alchemy to use by traveling Amestris, meeting other alchemists, and becoming one with nature," says Ed.

"How long will that take?" asks Trisha, sounding a little sad.

"I don't know. She said that we decided when we were done. Could be a week, could be years," says Edward, doing his best to ignore that sadness in his mother's tone and eyes.

"But I don't want to go, so I'm going to stay home with you, mom," says Al, cheerfully.

"When are you leaving, Edward?" asks Trisha. Ed could tell that she didn't like it, but she was going to let him do it anyway.

"I was thinking about leaving in a week or so. I haven't decided where I want to start just yet," says Ed.

"A week? Okay then, I'll just have to enjoy my time with you while I can, but you have to promise that you'll come home often," says Trisha.

"I promise," says Ed.

That night, after Trisha goes to bed, Ed and Al go to Hoenheim's study to look for the letters he always sent them. They had decided that the best place to start would be the last place he had sent a letter from. Ed thought that their mom kept the letters in the top drawer of Hoenheim's desk, so they started there first, but were disappointed to find that the letters weren't there.

"Maybe they aren't even in here. Maybe she keeps them in her room," says Al, as he opens the other drawers. Ed had gone to the book shelf and was looking for anything that could hold letters.

"What if she doesn't even keep them?" asks Ed.

"She does, brother. You know that. After she reads them to us she tells us that she's going to go put them away for safe keeping. Remember?" asks Al. No, Ed didn't remember, but that was because he always zoned out and only looked like he was paying attention. He didn't want to hear what that bastard had to say, so he never listened, and by the time he decided to listen again the letter was gone and Al was asking Ed if he wanted to go see Winry or go into town, or something.

"Then if you're so smart where does she _keep_ them?" demands Ed. Al seems to think about it for a moment before responding.

"In her closet. She told me once, that she keeps them in a box in her closet," says Al, proudly.

"And you're just _now_ remembering this?" growls Edward, menacingly.

"You're the one who suggested that we check in here first. Don't be getting mad at me because I forgot something that I was told when I was four," chastises Al, before walking out of the study and down the hall. Ed follows him and they stop outside of Trisha's room.

"Should we go in?" asks Al, hesitantly.

"We want those letters right?" asks Ed, trying to think of a good reason for going into their mom's room in the middle of the night while she slept.

"We could come back in the morning," says Al. Ed looks at Al and thinking that that was a pretty good idea, nods his head.

"Let's go to bed," says Ed, before turning and walking back to their room, with Al not far behind.

The next day, at breakfast, Trisha come in holding an unopened letter. "Hoenheim sent us another letter, yesterday. I was so excited about you boys coming home that I completely forgot about it. Should I read it to you?" asks Trisha. Ed and Al give each other meaningful looks. It was like their mom knew that they wanted to find that letter.

"Yeah! Where's this one from, mom?" asks Al, excitedly. Trisha looks down at the envelope and reads the post mark.

"It says that it's from Central," says Trisha, before opening the letter and beginning to read it aloud to Ed and Al. This time Ed held on to every word, in case he said anything helpful.

_"My dearest family,"_ read Trisha. _"I am sorry that I am still not home after all of these years, but know that I keep you in my thoughts and prayers every minute of every day. Unfortunately, my journey is not quite over yet, but I am hoping to catch a lucky break when I go to Lior. I've sent more money for you, and I hope that it's enough. I also heard a rumor that my sons were studying alchemy. This news made me very proud, and when I return I hope to see how much they have learned, and to, perhaps, teach them something as well. I love you all, and I hope to return soon. _

_Love, Hoenheim." _

At that moment, Ed knew that he was going to Lior first. Maybe this wouldn't be so hard after all. With any luck he could go to Lior, find Hoenheim, and go back home. Little did he know, nothing was ever that simple.

End Chapter

**A/N: Thanks for reading! Wow, this took me a while to type...three days actually. Yeah...sorry about that. On the days that I work, the last thing I want to do when I get home is type. So, the next chapter should be where the action starts. I'm sorry that I dragged this out for so long, I swear I didn't mean to. I just start typing and see where it gets me, without any set plan, so I had no idea that this was going to take so long to get to. Anyway, with any luck, the next chapter will have action... I'm going to try to keep this as far away from FMA as I can...but some things will be similar...You should know the drill by now. Review people! Sayonara! =]**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

When Edward stepped off of the train, he was surprised to find that he was still going to have to walk the rest of the way through the desert. He groans as he looks out across the sand which seemed to glimmer in the sun's unforgiving heat. With a groan, Edward collects his suit case and buys a canteen that he fills with water, before he begins his journey to Lior.

It was a few hours later and Edward was positively beat. He'd had to remove his jacket and he had run out of water about an hour ago, so he was thirsty. He was also beginning to wonder if he was going in the right direction. When he makes it to the top of, what felt like, the hundredth sand dune, he stops and looks out over the desert. There was sand for as far as the eye could see, but then, as he continued to look out, he saw it! Lior was right in front of him, it wouldn't be much longer before he got there.

With a relieved sigh, Edward continues his journey with a renewed vigor. Now that he could _see _Lior, he wasn't feeling as tired. It took him about forty-five minutes to reach Lior, and when he got there, the first place he stopped at was a small shop that sold food and drinks. When he sits down, he lays his head on the counter, beat from his long walk. The old man working there, places a glass of water in front of Ed.

"First drink is free, after that it's 20 cenz," says the man.

"Thanks," says Ed, not hesitating to pick up his glass and gulp it all down, before ordering another. "Can I get a sandwich too?" asks Ed.

"Sure, kid. We've got ham, turkey, bologna, or beef," says the man.

"Surprise me," says Ed, as a second glass is sat in front of him.

"So, did you _walk_ all the way from the train station?" he asks, incredulously.

"Yeah. It's not like I had a horse or anything," says Ed, a little confused by his question.

"Well no, but most folks take the taxi," says the man, just as a taxi passes by them.

"WHAT?" screeches Ed, incredulously. "I COULD HAVE TAKEN A _TAXI_?" he demands. The man laughs as he lays a large sandwich in front of Ed.

"Sure. That's what most people do. You honestly think the military would make people walk all the way here in that heat?" asks the man. Ed takes a bite out of his sandwich, decided that the question was rhetorical and therefore he didn't have to answer it. "So, what brings you to Lior anyway, kid? Aren't you a little young to be here by yourself?"

"I'm looking for someone. Maybe you've heard of him," says Ed, around a mouthful of food.

"I see a lot of faces, but maybe," says the man, doubtfully.

"His name is Hoenheim," says Ed, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a picture of Hoenheim. It was a candid shot of Hoenheim sitting in a chair with a baby Edward in his lap, and they were looking at a book. Edward looked to be one or two years old, and he seemed happy to be sitting there with Hoenheim, pointing at the book and looking back at Hoenheim with a grin. Hoenheim's expression was soft and warm, and he had a small smile on his face.

"Actually I do remember him. He stopped here, he walked through the desert too," says the man, with a chuckle. "He came by to see the priest about our Sun God, Lito. Said he was going to head to Central next."

Edward wondered why his father was interested in a fake God like Lito, and decided that he would check it out before going to Central. Maybe if he figured out what his father was researching he could get ahead of him and find him that way. It was worth a shot anyway. After thanking the man, finishing his lunch, and paying for it, Edward begins walking towards the church.

When he gets there he finds a girl praying at the Alter. She looked up at the statue of the Sun God and she seemed so hopeful that whatever she was praying for would be heard by him and therefore he would bless her. "Hey, I don't mean to interrupt, but I'm lost," says Ed. In reality he didn't care that he was interrupting. Her prayers weren't being heard anyway. There was no such thing as a Sun God, he wasn't even sure that there was such a thing as God at all. If there were, he always seemed to be absent when Ed needed him.

The girl turns and looks at Ed, she seemed to be a little startled, but maybe she hadn't heard him come in. After a few seconds, she smiles warmly. "Of course! My name is Rose. How can I help you?"

"Have you seen this man?" asks Ed, holding out the picture from before. Rose looks at the picture for a long time before shaking her head.

"I'm sorry, but I haven't. Maybe Father Cornello has though. I could take you to ask him," says Rose.

"Maybe in a minute," says Ed, before sitting down on one of the pews and looking up at the statue of Lito. "What can you tell me about Father Cornello or the Sun God Lito?" asks Ed, causing Rose's face to light up.

"Oh, lots! Father Cornello can perform miracles! Lito blessed him!" says Rose, happily. "He can even bring the dead to life!" This caught Ed's attention. Bring the dead to life? Is that what his father wanted? To bring someone dead back to life? But who would he want to bring back? And why? "Actually, now that you mention it, Father Cornello has been acting a little strange as of about a week ago. He hasn't been broadcasting the scriptures or performing his miracles for everyone to see." Rose's face seems to fall at this and she suddenly looked worried and sad and scared.

"What happened a week ago?" asks Ed, wondering if his father had something to do with it.

"I don't know. I think he had a visitor. But he hasn't been out, no one has seen him, and the only broadcasts we get are from Cray, saying that Father Cornello can't broadcast the scriptures because he's ill," says Rose.

"Is he taking any visitors?" asks Ed.

"I don't think so, but we could go find out," says Rose.

"Okay, take me to him," says Ed, before standing up. Rose nods, before leading Edward to a large ornately carved door that depicted Lito standing as a sort of guard in front of a gate.

"This is his office," says Rose, just before Ed kicks the door in with his auto mail leg before taking a step inside and looking around, but the room was empty, except that it looked like there had been a struggle of some kind. Rose hesitantly walks in behind Edward and gasps as she takes in the scene around her.

"Father Cornello's office! It looks like he was in a fight or something! I hope he's okay," says Rose, looking around at the scattered papers, knocked over lamps, and upturned desk.

"I don't see any blood, so he's probably not hurt," says Edward, as he looks around the room.

"Then where could he be?" asks Rose.

"Maybe you should ask around. Maybe he's in his bedroom or something," says Ed, trying to reassure her.

"I'll go ask Cray, maybe he knows," says Rose, before running out of the room. Ed sighs heavily and walks out into the hall, deciding that he would look around, maybe he'd find the false Priest cowering in a corner somewhere. With that thought in mind, Edward begins walking down the hall – kicking doors open and checking the rooms as he goes – until he gets to the last door in the hall. The door was just as large as the last one, but it didn't have any pictures carved into it.

Ed opens the door and goes inside, and what he finds shocks him.

Lying face down in a pool of blood, was – who he believed to be – Father Cornello. His left hand was grossly deformed, looking like it was half mechanical, and half human skin. His facial expression was one of terror, and if the smell, combined with the amount of decomposition, were any indication, he'd been dead for a while.

Just as he takes a step towards the body, he hears foot steps coming from behind him, followed by the frightened scream of a woman. When Ed turns, he isn't surprised to see Rose standing in the door way with her hands over her mouth and her eyes wide with terror and welling up with tears. "Father Cornello!" she screeches.

"This must be why no one has seen or heard from him in a while," says Ed, looking back at the body, as he uses his left hand to cover his nose and mouth. The odor was truly disgusting, and his stomach was churning, warning him that if he didn't want to see his sandwich again, he should leave the room. _Now_.

"Did you do this?" asks Rose, turning accusing eyes on Edward.

"What? Of course not! Look at him! He's already begun decomposing! It's obvious that he's been dead for a while," says Ed, pointing at the body with his left hand. "Probably better off anyway. He was just using all of you." With that said, Edward walks past Rose, out into the hall where he runs into someone's chest. "Oh, sorry." Then his arms are grabbed and pinned behind his back.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?" screeches Ed, as his hands are tied up.

"You're coming with us. Right now, you're the only suspect we have in the death of Father Cornello," says the man.

"Wait, Cray," says Rose, just as Cray was beginning to lead Ed away. Cray stops and looks back at Rose.

"What is it, Rose?" he asks.

"He just said that Father Cornello was using us. I want to know why he said that," says Rose, walking over to them, and looking Edward in the eyes. Edward could see the desperation in her eyes. She didn't want Ed to be right about Father Cornello. He wondered if he had promised her something.

"Yeah, so? Sun Gods aren't real, Rose. Hell, I don't think there's any God that is real. And besides that, no one can bring back the dead. It's not possible," says Ed, shrugging his shoulders. "The only person you should believe in, is yourself. Because people are the closest thing to Gods there are."

Rose glares at Ed for a long time before slapping him and running away, down the hall, crying. "You're wrong! The Sun God Lito _is_ real!" she screams, as she leaves.

"Now you've done it, you little punk," says Cray, angrily.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SMALL HE COULD BE SQUASHED BY AN ANT?" screeches Ed, as he automatically begins to spaz out, kicking his feet and trying to get his hands free so that he could punch Cray for calling him small.

Cray just stares at him in shock. He didn't know what to make of Edward's little outburst. "You're going to be locked up until the military can get here and find out who killed Father Cornello. If they say that you didn't do anything, then you can go, but if they find you guilty –" Cray lifts his hand up to his throat, his hand in a fist with his thumb up, and drags it across his throat, miming a knife slitting his throat.

"Whatever. I didn't do anything, and there's nothing there to say that I did, so I know that the military will find me innocent," says Ed, lifting his nose in the air.

"You're pretty cocky for such a runt," says Cray, in a threatening tone, but Ed didn't notice his tone because he was too busy screaming at him again.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SMALL THAT A FLEA COULD USE HIM IN ITS VERY OWN FLEA CIRCUS?"

"Come on, kid," says Cray, dragging him down the hall to a cell, where he could stay until the military showed up.

End Chapter

**A/N: Thanks for reading. Someone wanted short jokes, and there you have them! Sorry if they suck, but those are harder than you think to come up with. Okay, so in trying to keep this as far away from the original FMA, FMA: Brotherhood, or the FMA manga...I came up with this...sorry if it sucks. I also apologize for taking so long to update, but for some reason I got the first two paragraphs typed and then I couldn't think of anything. So I was waiting for inspiration to strike. And it did. YAY! =3 So then I decided that I really should get the chapter posted and for some reason my brain and fingers just sort of took off and came up with this. The next chapter will finally get the military involved! YAY MILITARY! I know how you all like that. LOL **

**Oh, and I've decided to have a goal for this fanfic. When I finally get done with this story (which at this rate could be a while) I would like it to have 50 reviews. Now, I'm not going to say, give me so many reviews or I won't update, that's totally uncool when people do that, I'm just saying that I'm hoping to get 50 reviews. I think it's totally possible! So please review! =] **


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

This was just great. Edward was locked up in a cell with his hands handcuffed to a chain that hung from the wall, which gave him just enough slack to sit down, but his hands were forced above his head. Looking out the small window, he could see the sky had darkened, the moon was full and the stars shown brightly. He had promised to call his mom and brother, they would be worried. Edward sighs heavily and lays his head against his arm. He figured that since he was here, he might as well try to sleep, as uncomfortable as it would be.

He was awoken early the next morning, by the sound of the door being unlocked and opened. When he looks up, with bleary eyes, from still being half asleep, he sees Rose walking in with a tray of food, and Cray was in the doorway behind her, seemingly watching her in case Edward tried anything. Edward yawns and looks down at the tray Rose had sat in front of him. A glass of water and some bread. Edward snorts. "Prison food? Really? I really didn't do anything to your precious false priest. Why won't you let me go?" asks Ed.

"We won't know that for sure until the military arrives. They should be getting here soon," says Cray, ignoring Ed's "false priest" nonsense. Father Cornello had worked miracles, there hadn't been anything fake about him.

"So tell me, what are you going to do now that he's dead? It's not like he's going to be coming back from the dead to perform more miracles," says Ed. Rose gasps, as Ed's words sink in. Even Cray looked frightened once he realized what Edward was saying. He was right. What _were_ they going to do? Without Father Cornello they wouldn't have the miracles he performed for them. The citizens of Lior wouldn't have his guidance. They would be lost without him. They had been lost before, without him.

"Father Cornello might come back. He could bring the dead back to life. Maybe he could bring himself back," says Rose, weakly, but Edward knew she didn't believe what she was saying, not really.

"You know as well as I do, Rose. He's not coming back," says Edward, fiercely. Rose seemed like a nice girl, he didn't want to see her get hurt. Didn't want to watch her get her hopes up just for it to all end badly. Lior was about to be in for a rough time. Ed guessed that they had gone so long leaning on Father Cornello for everything that the people had forgotten how to stand up on their own. "So, you going to unlock these cuffs so that I can eat, or do I get to sit here and stare at my food all day?" asks Ed, and then a mischievous grin spreads across his face. "Or are you going to feed me? Okay. Ahhhh..." says Ed, opening his mouth wide. With a sob, Rose stands up and runs out of the cell, leaving Cray standing in the doorway.

"You could show some pity for her, you know? She's had a rough life," says Cray, angrily, before walking over and unlocking one of Ed's hands.

"Yeah? Well, we can't all live luxurious lives," says Ed, before taking a bite of bread.

"What do you know? I'll bet you're life isn't that bad. You're probably a spoiled little brat," argues Cray.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SMALL?" demands Ed. "And for your information, my life hasn't been a walk in the park." He adds, before pulling up his pant leg to show Cray his auto mail. Cray gasps.

"Between my dad walking out on us when I was younger, and trying to fill the space he left, and getting hit by a train when I was seven, my life hasn't been easy. The only reason I'm even _in_ Lior, is because I'm trying to find my dad. I could care less about that phony Cornello. If you ask me, his death was probably going to be your biggest blessing," says Edward.

"Father Cornello saved us! You don't even know him. How do you know that his death was a good thing? How can you say that?" demands Cray.

"No one can bring the dead back to life. There is no such thing as God. Humans are nothing more than minerals and water. But even knowing that, Alchemists can't create human life. They've tried, but they just can't," says Edward.

"You talk about alchemists like they're Gods," retorts Cray.

"They're the closest things to Gods, humans have," says Ed. "And I'll bet your "Priest" was just using alchemy," says Ed.

"Prove it," says Cray.

"Uncuff my other hand and I'll gladly prove it," says Edward, staring at Cray expectantly. Cray unlocks Edward's other hand and he rubs his wrists and rolls his shoulders, trying to get the blood flowing again after having his hands cuffed above his head for so long. Edward reaches into his pocket and pulls out a piece of chalk before drawing a simple transmutation circle on the ground. Cray watches intently as Edward lays the plate that the bread had been sitting on, in the middle of the circle and then places his hands on the circle. Suddenly the circle begins to glow blue and the plate begins to change, molding and taking on a new shape, until the glow died down and in the middle of the circle was a toy horse, made of clay.

"That's amazing! You perform miracles like Father Cornello!" says Cray, amazed by what he had witnessed.

"So, do you still think that he was a miracle worker?" asks Ed.

"Father Cornello didn't use a circle like you do," says Cray.

"What?" asks Edward, startled. How could that be? Alchemy without a circle? The only person he had ever known to be able to do that was his teacher. She clapped her hands and was able to perform alchemy. She had said that it was something that was learned when one saw the truth. Edward didn't know what that meant, but maybe Father Cornello had seen it.

"Alchemy is possible without a circle. I'm not advanced enough to do alchemy like that, but my teacher was. Besides, maybe he had a circle, you just didn't see it," says Edward. Just then a man comes in.

"Cray, the military is here," he says.

"Good," says Cray, before turning back to Edward. "Come on. You have an interrogation to attend," says Cray, pulling Edward to his feet before handcuffing his hands behind his back and leading him out of the room.

Edward is lead to a small room with a table and at the table sat two men in military uniforms. Behind one of the men was a woman, also in uniform. Cray takes Edward over to the empty chair across from the two men and sits him down before handcuffing him to the chair. "What the hell? Now You feel the need to cuff me to the chair? Haven't I been good? Come on, uncuff me," complains Edward.

"Shut up. You're a suspect in a murder investigation, kid. You have to be handcuffed to the chair," says Cray, before leaving the room. Edward groans before turning and scowling at the two military men in front of him.

"My name is Colonel Roy Mustang, and this is Lieutenant Colonel Maes Hughes. The woman behind me is Lieutenant Colonel Riza Hawkeye. She's here to make sure that you behave yourself, kid," says Roy. Edward looks back at Riza and notices that she was holding a handgun in her hands.

"So, let's start with your name," says Roy. Edward glares at Roy for a long time. He didn't like Roy, he could tell that he was an arrogant jackass, probably just out for a promotion.

"Edward Elric," retorts Ed.

"Okay, Edward. How old are you?" asks Roy.

"Eleven," says Ed.

"You've got to be kidding me. These people honestly think that an eleven year old kid could kill a fully grown man?" asks Hughes, incredulously.

"I guess so. Why do they seem to think that, kid?" asks Roy.

"Probably because they found me in the room with the body," says Edward, with a snort, "That guy had to have been dead for a few days, and I just got here yesterday. I tried telling them that, but they won't listen."

"What makes you think that he had been dead for a few days?" asks Roy.

"Did you see him?" demands Ed. "He's already partially decomposed. Not to mention the smell coming from him. He reeked," says Ed, scrunching up his nose at the memory of the odor.

"So where were you a few days ago?" asks Roy.

"Depends on how long ago you're thinking," says Ed.

"Three days," says Roy.

"I was at home, getting my things around to come here," says Ed.

"And why _did_ you come here?" asks Roy.

"I have my reasons," says Ed, looking away from him.

"You need to tell us if you want to prove your innocence," argues Roy.

"Fine. I'm looking for someone," snaps Edward.

"Who?" asks Roy. Edward sighs heavily. He had had enough of the twenty questions for one day.

"My dad, okay?" retorts Edward.

"And why did you come here?" asks Roy.

"Because he said he was here in the last letter he sent," says Edward.

"Who is your father?" asks Hughes.

"Hoenheim," says Ed, simply. Roy and Hughes looked surprised though, and Ed wondered if he had said something wrong.

"Van Hoenheim?" asks Roy, slowly.

"Yeah...so? Why?" asks Ed, hesitantly. Was his father a wanted criminal? Was that why he left?

"The military has been looking for your father," says Hughes.

"Why?" asks Ed. "What'd he do?"

"Nothing, but he's a powerful, skilled, well known alchemist. He could be of great use to the military," says Roy. 

"If he wanted to join the military, he would have done so by now, I'm sure," says Edward.

"Do you know where he was headed?" asks Roy.

"Aren't we supposed to be talking about the murder I didn't commit?" asks Ed, he knew that Hoenheim was headed to Central, but he didn't want to tell them that.

"Honestly? You're an eleven year old boy. These guys just want a suspect. I don't think you did anything, and the military would agree," says Hughes.

"Hughes is right. You say you were at home. And I'm sure the train records would tell us the same thing. If you just got here yesterday, and the body was as decomposed as you say, then there's no way you did it, but, just to be safe, you're coming to Central with us, and if you promise to be good and stay in Central until we tell you that you can go, you won't be locked up," says Roy, with an smug look on his face, that made Edward want to punch him.

"And if I decide to sneak out of Central first chance I get...?" asks Edward.

"You'll be locked up for the rest of your life for impending in an ongoing investigation," says Roy, simply.

"Don't worry, you can stay with my wife and I. We'd be happy to have you for a few days." says Hughes, cheerfully. Edward looks back at Roy and sighs. He didn't seem to have much of a choice in the matter, and at least this way he would get to go to Central as planned.

"Can I get out of these handcuffs now?" asks Edward, jingling the cuffs to emphasize his point.

"Sure. Hawkeye," says Roy.

"Right away, sir," says Riza, before walking over to Edward and unlocking his hand cuffs with the spare key.

"Hughes, you can be Edward's escort until we leave tomorrow morning. He'll be staying in your room," says Roy, before getting up and leaving the room, with Hawkeye not far behind. Hughes walks over to Ed and puts his arm around his shoulders.

"This is going to be great! Gracia will be thrilled to have you. And she's pregnant, so I'm sure this will be fun for you as well," says Hughes, cheerfully as they walk outside.

"Pregnant?" asks Edward. He knew what a woman being pregnant meant, but he had never seen a pregnant woman before.

"Yes! She's almost nine months along now, and could have the baby any day! We're both really excited!" says Hughes, proudly. Then he reaches into his pocket and pulls out a photo to show Ed. The picture was a head shot of a woman, who Edward assumed was Gracia. She looked very nice, judging by the picture. Then he was reminded of his own mom, who was probably worried.

"Um, I need to go make a phone call," says Edward, before running to the nearest pay phone. After putting some change in the phone he dials his mother's number and waits for someone to pick up.

"Hello?" says Trisha.

"Hey mom," says Edward.

"Edward? Is that you?" asks Trisha, obviously worried.

"Yeah," says Edward.

"I was so worried about you! You said that you would call me yesterday. I even called the train station to see if you made it there safely, and they had said you did. Why didn't you call me?" asks Trisha.

"Well, you see, when I got here I was worn out from traveling, and after I ate, I went to an Inn and got a room, but as soon as I reached my room, I fell asleep and didn't wake up until this morning. I'm sorry, mom," says Ed.

"Oh, what am I going to do with you?" asks Trisha, her tone chaste, but with a hint of relief.

"I know. I'm sorry," says Edward.

"I'm just glad that you're okay," says Trisha.

"Yeah. I'm headed to Central next. The train leaves tomorrow. So I'll call you then. Is Al there?" asks Ed.

"Al is out with Winry right now. But I'll let him know that you asked about him," says Trisha.

"Okay. How are you?" asks Ed.

"Oh you know, just busy. Laundry, and housework, and yard work. The usual. Al has been helping me though," says Trisha.

"That's good. Tell him that I said that if he doesn't help you, I'm going to kick his butt when I get home," says Ed, causing Trisha to laugh.

"I will," she chortles.

"Okay. Well, my time is almost up on the pay phone, I should get going. I need to get ready to leave," says Ed.

"Thank you for calling me and letting me know that you're safe. Call me when you get too Central, _before_ you fall asleep," says Trisha.

"I will," says Ed.

"I love you, little man," says Trisha.

"I love you too, mom," says Edward, before hanging up. When he steps out of the booth, he finds Rose standing a few feet away. Hughes was sitting on the bench next to the booth.

"Hey Rose," says Ed.

"So, you're innocent?" she asks.

"Yeah. It's exactly how I told you it was," says Ed. Rose nods, before walking over to Edward and holding her hand up like she was going to slap him, but instead she begins to cry.

"What are we going to do, Edward? Without Father Cornello, we're all going to be lost again!" sobs Rose.

"You need to move on, Rose. Something bad happened, so what? Put it in the past where it belongs and move on. You have two strong legs, Rose, you should get up and use them," says Edward, before walking over to Hughes.

"What do you want to do?" asks Hughes.

"Honestly? I didn't sleep well last night. I could use a nap," says Ed.

"Okay then, right this way! We'll go to my room and you can have a nice shower and nap before lunch," says Hughes, throwing his arm over Ed's shoulders and leading him towards the hotel.

End Chapter

**A/N: Thanks for reading! Page wise, this is my longest chapter so far. Yay! Okay, so hopefully this didn't go too fast. I know the interrogation probably seemed a little fast paced, but I'm just sort of assuming that Roy would want to get through it quickly. He knew that Ed hadn't done anything, but he's taking him to Central anyway. He's got plans for Ed. (Just don't ask me what...I haven't thought that far ahead...) Anyway, it's looking like my goal of 50 reviews will definitely be met, which is totally awesome! I'm already over halfway there! YAY! So thank you everyone for the reviews! I also failed to mention in my last A/N that the person who gets me to 50 reviews will get a special story dedicated to them! YAY! It'll be a one chapter story and I'll let the reviewer choose the plot, pairing (if there is one)/ main character (if there isn't a pairing), and rating, and if they want a lemon or not...So for example: If someone wants a day of Ed and Al and Winry at school, rated K+ then I'll write it. Or if someone wants an EdxRoy fic where Ed is a porn star and Roy is his...partner or whatever...and it's rated M for lemons, then I'll write it. Or anything in between. As always, review! And if I hit 50 before the story is finished, I'll probably up my goal and have another situation like this. So thanks again for the reviews and keep them up! 50 reviews here I come! Sayonara! =] **


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

The next day they arrived in Central, and the first thing that happened, was that Hughes took Edward to his apartment. Mustang had said something about filling out paperwork, and he and Riza went their separate way from Hughes and Edward. When Hughes and Edward get to Hughes' apartment and walk in they're greeted by the woman whom Edward had seen in the photograph.

"Welcome home, Maes," says Gracia, with a warm smile as she hugs Hughes. Hughes kisses her forehead as he hugs her back.

"Thanks Hon," says Hughes, before stepping back and motioning towards Edward, who was standing in the doorway looking a little awkward. "Gracia, this is Edward Elric. He'll be staying with us for a few days, until we get some stuff sorted out with this case in Lior. Edward, this is my beautiful wife, Gracia."

"Welcome to our home, Edward," says Gracia. That's when Edward notices her stomach.

"Whoa! Your stomach is the size of a melon!" exclaims Edward, in awe. Then he blushes, because he realized that he was being rude. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that."

"You're right though," says Gracia, as she rubs her stomach lovingly. "There's a baby inside me belly and she's been making a big fuss lately. I think she's ready to come out and see the world," says Gracia cheerfully.

"Wow. Really?" asks Edward, amazed by what he was hearing. He'd never seen a pregnant woman before. As he's looking at Gracia's stomach, it moves! Edward jumps back and points at her stomach. "It moved!" he shouts, in surprise. Her stomach moves again.

"Oh, I think you may have startled her," says Gracia, rubbing her belly again.

"How did I startle her?" asks Edward, feeling guilty.

"She can hear everything that's going on out here. Sudden loud noises startle her sometimes," says Gracia.

"I'm sorry," says Edward, guiltily.

"It's okay. Do you want to feel her move?" asks Gracia.

"No way! That's creepy!" says Edward, holding his hands out in front of him. Gracia smiles warmly and grabs Edward's right hand and pulls it up to a spot on her stomach.

"It's not creepy, just feel," says Gracia. Edward waits for something to happen, and then it does! He feels something bump his hand. "Wow, that was a strong kick. She must like you already," says Gracia.

"Did it hurt you?" asks Edward. He couldn't imagine being kicked from the inside. If it was anything like being kicked from the outside, it probably hurt a lot.

"No, it didn't hurt," says Gracia.

"Maybe we should let Edward get his things unpacked. Edward, you'll be staying in the guest room," says Hughes, before picking up Ed's suitcase and leading him back to a bedroom. When they go in, Edward looks around. It was a nice room, with a full sized bed, and a night stand with a lamp next to it. Under the window was a dresser with a vase of flowers sitting in it. On the other wall, across from the bed, was a desk with a small lamp and a pen holder full of pens. On the wall closest to the door was a small book shelf full of books, but when Edward looked at the titles he found that they were mostly fiction books, and none of them had anything to do with alchemy.

"Well, here's the room, I hope it's okay," says Hughes.

"It's great," says Edward.

"The top drawer of the desk has some stationary and envelopes in it, feel free to use any of it, if you want to write letters or whatever. If you need a stamp, just ask me, I'll get you one," says Hughes.

"Okay. Thank you Mr. Hughes," says Edward, before walking over to the bed and laying his suitcase on it and opening it. When he does, he notices the camera Al had made him pack.

_"Just because I'm not going with you, doesn't mean that I don't want to see the country. So take a lot of pictures for me. Okay?"_ Al had said, when he had given Edward the camera. Ed picks up the camera and looks at it. He didn't really know how to work a camera.

"Oh! You have a camera! Did you plan to take pictures of everywhere you went?" asks Hughes, excitedly.

"My brother wanted me to, but I don't know how to work this," says Edward, holding the camera out for Hughes to see. Hughes takes the camera and opens the back of it.

"Well, you don't have any film yet, so you won't be able to take any pictures," says Hughes. Edward turns back to his suitcase and digs around until he finds a box.

"Is this it?" asks Ed. Hughes takes the box and reads it.

"Yeah, this is it. Okay, so to put the film in, you take it out of the packaging," says Hughes, as he opens the box and pulls out a roll of film, before demonstrating how to put the film into the camera.

"How do I get the pictures out?" asks Edward.

"You have to take the film to a camera shop. The camera shop has a dark room, and they can get the pictures developed for you, but they'll charge you to do it. Or, if you'd like, I can develop them for you whenever you come to Central. I'll do it for free," says Hughes.

"Really?" asks Ed.

"Sure! Besides, I want to see some of the pictures you take for your brother," says Hughes.

"So, how do I take pictures with it?" asks Ed.

"That's easy! You just look through this little spot here, point it where you want, and then push the button. Afterward, you have to wind the film with this little wheel here," says Hughes, pointing at everything on the camera as he speaks. Then he hands the camera to Ed.

"So, what do you want to take a picture of first?" asks Hughes.

"Can I take a picture of you and Gracia? I want Al and my mom to see some of the people I meet," says Ed.

"Of course! Right this way," says Hughes, pulling Edward out of the room and taking him into the kitchen, where Gracia was standing at the stove stirring something in a large pot. "Is that stew? Smells delicious, Hon," says Hughes, before giving Gracia a kiss on the cheek.

"Thank you. Edward, you like, stew right?" asks Gracia.

"That's my favorite!" says Edward, excitedly. Al would be so jealous if he found out that Ed was getting stew today.

"Good. I'm glad to hear it," says Gracia, with a warm smile.

"Actually, Ed wanted to try out his camera, and asked if he could photograph the two of us," says Hughes. Gracia looks down at the camera in Ed's hands.

"Of course! Where would you like to take the picture, mister photographer?" asks Gracia, before turning around and turning down the heat on the stew so that it wouldn't burn.

"Um...I don't know. I just thought I had to take a picture," says Ed, confused. Did it matter where they were? He remembered being photographed with Al and Winry when they were little, but those were pictures of them playing and stuff. They usually didn't even realize they were being photographed until it was over.

"How about we go to the living room?" suggests Hughes.

"Okay," says Gracia. Hughes leads Gracia and Edward to the living room where Hughes and Gracia stand together in front of the fire place. Hughes had his arm around Gracia's waist and Gracia was leaning into Hughes and they both had a hand on Gracia's stomach. They both had smiles on their faces. Edward smiles at the happy family before lifting his camera and looking through the view finder, as instructed by Hughes earlier, and once he had Hughes and Gracia centered he pushes the button.

As soon as the camera flashes, Gracia's face distorts into a look of pain and she gasps before clutching her stomach. Hughes catches her as she begins to fall. "Gracia!" he shouts, concerned.

"I think my water just broke!" gasps Gracia. Edward had no idea what that meant, but it didn't sound good. Anything breaking usually wasn't a good thing!

"What do we do?" asks Edward, alarmed. He was a little scared. Then he notices a puddle of liquid forming around Gracia. It was clear, and looked like water. Was that what Gracia had meant?

"We have to get Gracia to the doctor. I'm going to call the doctor. Help Gracia get to the couch while I call the doctor and let him know that we're coming," says Hughes, before rushing out of the room. Ed lays the camera on the coffee table before walking over to Gracia and helping her to her feet.

"Are you in any pain, Mrs. Hughes?" asks Edward, as he slings her arm over his shoulder so that he can help her to the couch.

"I'm okay for right now, Edward. Thank you," says Gracia, breathlessly, as she sits down on the couch. "Could you be a dear and go turn off the stove and place a lid on the stew? The lids are in the cupboard next to the stove."

"Sure," says Edward, before running to the kitchen to do as he's told. Once he was done with that he goes back out to the living room to find Hughes helping Gracia into her coat. He had a suitcase next to his feet.

"Edward, grab your coat, you'll have to come with us," says Hughes. Ed nods and grabs his coat from the coat rack and slips it on.

"I'll take her suit case for you, Hughes," says Edward, grabbing his camera and slipping it into his pocket – he wanted to take a picture of the baby when it was born – before picking up the suit case.

"Thanks, Ed. Come on, now. I've called a cab, it should be waiting outside," says Hughes, before helping Gracia to the door.

A few hours later, Edward was sitting outside in the waiting room, watching Hughes as he paced back and forth. He hadn't taken a seat since the doctors had told him that Gracia was fully dilated – whatever _that _meant – and that he would have to wait in the waiting room until the baby was born. The last Edward had seen Gracia, she wasn't looking too good. She was pale, sweating, and obviously in a lot of pain. Unable to handle seeing her in so much pain, Edward had gone out to the waiting room. Hughes had come out about an hour later and explained to Edward what was going on.

"I'm going to go find something to eat," says Edward.

"Okay. I'll send a nurse to find you if anything happens while you're gone," says Hughes, obviously distracted.

"Do you want anything?" asks Ed.

"No, thanks though," says Hughes.

"Okay," says Edward, before leaving to find the cafeteria. Once there, Edward gets a sandwich and some juice, before taking a seat at one of the tables. While he's eating, a nurse walks over to him.

"Are you Edward Elric?" she asks.

"Yeah," says Edward.

"Mr. Hughes said to let you know that 'it's a girl' and that when you finish eating you're welcome to come in and see her," says the nurse.

"I'm ready to see her now," says Edward, pushing his tray aside, appetite forgotten.

"Right this way, then," says the nurse, before turning and walking out of the cafeteria. Edward follows her through the double doors in the waiting room, and down the hall to a room. When he gets inside, he finds Gracia and Hughes cooing over a small bundle in Gracia's arms.

"Mr. and Mrs. Hughes. I've brought Edward in," says the nurse. Then she turns to Edward. "If you want to hold the baby, you need to wash your hands in that sink, and put on those scrubs," says the nurse pointing to a sink and scrubs over in the corner.

"Okay," says Edward. The nurse walks out of the room, and Edward stands in the doorway, awkwardly. Hughes looks up at Edward with a huge grin on his face.

"Hey there, Edward. Don't be shy, come see our daughter," says Hughes, motioning with his hand to come over. Gracia looks up at Edward and smiles warmly. Edward nods and walks over to the bed, cautiously. He didn't want to scare the baby.

"Her name is Elysia," says Gracia, as Edward looks down at the small bundle. The baby was looking at him with wide, green eyes. "Would you like to hold her?"

Edward holds his hands out in front of him. "I'd better not. I don't want to hurt her," says Edward, nervously.

"Nonsense. Go wash your hands and put on those scrubs," says Hughes, pulling Edward over to the sink. Edward pulls off his jacket and washes his hands, before putting on the scrubs over his clothes. Then he sits down in the chair and watches nervously as Hughes carries the small bundle over to him.

"You really don't have to let me hold her," says Edward nervously.

"Sure I do! Now, hold your arms like I am," says Hughes. Edward makes a cradle with his arms, just like Hughes and watches as Hughes nestles little Elysia into his arms. Edward looks down at her, surprised that she was so light. "Just watch her head," says Hughes, as he readjust Ed's arms a little so that he's supporting her head better. "There! See? It's easy."

"I guess," mumbles Edward, woodenly. He was afraid to move a muscle, or even speak. She was just so little and fragile. Edward looks down at Elysia who was staring up at him with a look of wonder on her face.

"Say hi to your big brother, Ed, Elysia," coos Hughes, just as something flashes. Edward looks up, startled, and sees Hughes holding the camera Ed had brought.

"Can't let this moment be passed up. Your family will be thrilled to see you holding such an adorable little baby," says Hughes, proudly. Ed looks back down at Elysia, who had closed her eyes and fallen asleep.

"She likes you, Edward. You'll have to make sure to come to Central, often, and pay her a visit," says Gracia.

"That's right. And I expect you to bring your brother one of these days too," says Hughes. "I'm sure he'd like to meet our little Elysia."

"He would. He likes small, cute things," says Ed, a little more comfortable, now that he was holding Elysia, and obviously not hurting her.

"Where you from, Edward?" asks Gracia.

"Resembool," says Edward. "It's a little place in the east."

"It sounds like a nice place," says Gracia.

"Only if you like farms," snorts Edward. "And being up in the mountains."

"We should visit there," says Hughes. "it sounds peaceful." Edward remembered Winry and Al, and all of the fun they used to have, playing in the river and exploring the woods and stuff. It was a nice childhood.

"It is," says Edward, fondly. He suddenly missed his mom and brother. "I'm going to go call my mom and let her know I've made it to Central, okay."

"Alright," says Hughes, walking over and taking Elysia. Edward removes the scrubs before leaving to find a phone. When he does, he calls home, and Al answers.

"Hello?" asks Al.

"Hey, is mom home?" asks Ed.

"Hi, Brother!" says Al, excitedly. "Mom's putting clothes on the line. Guess what! We got a new letter from dad! He's heading to Youswell next."

"Okay. That's good to know," says Ed.

"Are you in Central yet?" asks Al.

"Yeah, and you wouldn't believe it! The family I'm staying with just had a baby! I'm actually at the hospital right now!" says Edward, cheerfully.

"Really? What'd they have?" asks Al, excitedly.

"A girl. Her name is Elysia. And I got to hold her," says Ed, proudly.

"Wow! What was it like?" asks Al, in awe.

"She was little, and she didn't weigh very much. She was really soft too. Mrs. Hughes said that she thought Elysia liked me," says Ed.

"That's so awesome, Brother! Did you take pictures?" asks Al.

"Yeah. I'll show you next time I come home," says Ed.

"When will that be?" asks Al.

"When I leave Central. I have to stay here for a few days though. I got caught up in something, and Colonel Mustang is making me stay here," says Edward.

"What'd you do?" asks Al.

"Nothing!" snaps Ed. "I got framed somehow! Just, don't tell mom, okay?" asks Edward.

"Okay, I won't," says Al.

_"Alphonse, who's on the phone, dear?"_ Trisha could be heard in the background.

"Ed called! Do you want to talk to him?" asks Al. Then Ed could hear the phone being shuffled, followed by his mother's voice.

"Hello, Edward," says Trisha.

"Hi mom," says Edward. He could feel his chest tighten at his mother's voice. He missed her a lot. All he wanted to do was go home and see her, maybe even just give up his stupid quest to find Hoenheim. If that bastard wanted to stay gone, who was Ed to try to make him go home?

"How are you? Did you make it to Central?" asks Trisha.

"I'm good. Yeah, I made it to Central. I'm staying with a nice family," says Ed.

"Really? Who?" asks Trisha.

"Lieutenant Colonel Maes Hughes, and his wife, Gracia," says Edward. "Oh, and their new baby, Elysia."

"They have a baby? Are you sure that it's okay for you to stay there then?" asks Trisha.

"Yeah. Mr. Hughes insisted," says Ed.

"Okay, then you just be polite, and help them out whenever you can," says Trisha. "I know you'll do those things. You're a good boy."

"I will," says Ed.

"That's my little man," says Trisha, proudly.

"I have too go. I'll call you tonight when I get back to the Hughes' house," says Edward.

"Okay. Good-bye, Edward. I love you," says Trisha.

"I love you too. And Al too. Tell him that for me, okay?" asks Edward.

"Of course," says Trisha. "He loves you too."

"Okay. Bye," says Edward, before hanging up.

End Chapter

**A/N: Thanks for reading chapter ten! Wow, can't believe I made it to chapter ten already! Or that this chapter is 8 pages long! Whoo hoo! Okay, so I have no idea where this chapter came from...my fingers have a mind of their own...hope you guys liked the chapter. Um...the camera thing...I have no idea where that came from, but it seemed like something Al would ask Ed to do... Sorry if Ed seems OOC...I just figured he would act the way he's acting in this chapter in the situations presented. The next chapter should shed some light on what Roy is keeping Ed in Central for...That was supposed to happen in this chapter, but my fingers took over...oh! Before I forget...I'm thinking about having Ed lose his arm...partially because someone mentioned that the metal arm was sort of his thing...and partially because its been bugging me that I made him lose the leg instead of his arm...so...review and let me know if you object to this or not...Hmm...i guess that's it...Review and let me know what you thought. Ask questions, make suggestions, whatever...thanks! Sayonara! =] **


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

It was a few days later, and Gracia and Elysia were now home from the hospital. Ed was helping Gracia around the house, doing dishes, or getting her bottles or diapers, whatever Gracia asked him for. Hughes had to go back to work, and had asked Edward to keep an eye on Gracia and Elysia. Edward couldn't help but feel the pressure of being trusted to look after the two most important people in Maes Hughes' life.

At the moment, Edward was holding Elysia while Gracia went and heated up a bottle for her. Elysia was fussy, because she was getting hungry. "It's okay, Elysia. Your mom is getting you some milk," says Ed, as he gently rocks the newborn. A few moments later, Gracia comes in carrying a bottle.

"Thank you, Edward," says Gracia, as she takes Elysia. Just then there's a knock on the door.

"I'll get it," says Edward, before going to the door and opening it. Standing on the other side of the door was a man in a military uniform. He had blonde hair and blue eyes, and a cigarette in his mouth.

"Hey there, kid. Are you Edward Elric?" he asks.

"Whose askin'?" asks Ed, suspiciously. The man laughs.

"My name is Jean Havoc. Colonel Roy Mustang sent me here to get you. He wants to speak with you."

"Um, just let me go let Mrs. Hughes know," says Edward, before going back to the living room. Gracia was feeding Elysia, who was no longer fussing. "There's a man here to take me to Mr. Mustang's office." Gracia looks up at Edward and smiles.

"Let Roy know that I said hello, and that he should come by for dinner tonight. Let him know that I won't take 'no' for an answer, and that dinner starts at six o'clock sharp," says Gracia.

"Is there anything else you need before I go?" asks Edward.

"No, I should be fine while you're gone," says Gracia, with a warm smile. "Don't let Roy keep you too long though."

"Yes, ma'am," says Ed, before walking back to the door, grabbing his coat on the way out. When they get to HQ, Havoc leads Ed to Mustang's office and Hawkeye tells Edward that Mustang was waiting for him. Upon entering the room, Edward looks around and finds Mustang sitting at his desk reading a file.

"Welcome, Edward. Have a seat," says Mustang, motioning towards a chair across from his desk.

"Thank you," says Edward, before sitting down in the seat Mustang had pointed to. "So, is this about the case? Can I leave Central soon?" asks Edward.

"Actually it is about the case," says Roy. "After asking around in Lior, and verifying the citizens' claims, we have a new suspect."

"Okay, great. So now they know it's not me. Does that mean that I get to leave?" asks Edward, hopefully.

"Only under one condition," says Roy. Edward flops back in his chair and groans. Of course there was going to be some sort of condition. Nothing in his life was ever that easy.

"What is it?" he groans.

"You have to promise to stop the search for your father," says Roy, bluntly.

"Like hell I will!" shouts Edward, angrily. His eyes a sudden blaze of determination. He'd just started his search, he'd only gotten to one place. Hoenheim was out there somewhere, and he was going to find them.

"Hoenheim is a suspect in the case in Lior. This is military business now," argues Roy. "If you go in search of him I'll have you arrested for obstruction of an ongoing investigation, and you'll be put in jail for a very long time. Do you really want to do that to your family?"

"Don't you dare bring them into this! And as far as Hoenheim is concerned, you're being ridiculous! Hoenheim is no more of a murderer than I am!" argues Edward, angrily.

"How do you know, Edward? When is the last time you spoke to him?" asks Mustang. Edward gasps as he realizes that Mustang was right. Edward was a toddler when Hoenheim left. He had no idea why Hoenheim left, and didn't know anything about him. Maybe he _was_ a murderer, and that was why he left them. But then, why did his mom love and miss him so much? Maybe he had deceived her into thinking that he was some great man, but the urge to kill had become too much for him to take so he left them. "Edward?" asks Mustang, realizing that Ed was spacing out, lost in his thoughts.

"Fine!" snaps Ed. "I'll leave it alone! I'll stop searching for him! But if you find him, you have to promise that you'll tell me. That you'll let me come and see him," says Edward.

"You have my word, Edward. You'll be the first to know," says Mustang.

"Then I'll be waiting to hear something," says Edward.

"Okay. You can go now, Edward," says Mustang. Edward nods, before standing up. He begins walking towards the door, but then remembers Gracia's message. Ed turns back around and faces Roy.

"Mrs. Hughes says 'hello'," says Edward. Roy looks up at Edward and smiles.

"Tell her that I said 'hello' also," says Roy.

"You can tell her yourself. She's expecting you at dinner tonight at 6 o'clock sharp. She says that she won't take 'no' for an answer," says Edward, with a grin.

"Okay. Thank you, Edward. Tell Havoc that I said to give you a ride back," says Mustang.

"Nah. I'll walk. Since I'm not under house arrest anymore, I want to take a look around Central," says Edward, before walking out of his office.

When Edward leaves HQ, he decides to walk around and see what he can find in the large city. After a couple of hours, Ed checks the time and realizes that he needs to get back to the Hughes' apartment. It was going to be time for dinner soon, and Gracia would probably need his help. Deciding on a short cut, Edward begins taking alleyways and back streets, hoping to get to the apartment complex quicker.

After a few blocks, Edward could see the apartment complex. In a hurry, Edward runs through the next alley, only to be stopped by someone grabbing his arm and pulling him into a side alley. "What the – ?" Ed's question is cut off by a hand over his mouth, and then he's thrown against the wall.

"Ah!" gasps Edward, in pain as his head makes contact with the wall. "Damn, that hurt."

"That's not the only thing that's going to hurt, kid. What do you think you're doing, walking around in my turf?" asks the man. Edward looks up at the man. He was big, with no hair, and dark eyes. In his hand was a knife.

"What the hell are you talking about? This is an alley, it doesn't belong to you, jackass," argues Ed. Suddenly the man had a hold of Ed's shirt front and had pulled him up so that he was looking into Ed's eyes. Ed's legs are several inches off of the ground.

"You wanna run that by me again, smart ass?" growls the man.

"You heard me! This is an alley. It's doesn't belong to you, or anyone else," says Ed, cockily. Suddenly he was on the ground again, with a loud thump, as his whole right side hits the pavement.

"You little runt! You're gonna pay for that! No one disrespects me and gets away with it!" bellows the man, before kicking Edward in the stomach. Suddenly, the air in ed's lungs lets out with a whoosh and he was gasping for breath, as the man descended on him.

"Now, what am I going to do to make sure you learn your lesson?" says the man. Edward was suddenly, terrified. This man was going to hurt him, maybe even kill him. Just for walking down the wrong alley. The man looks over Edward's body, and that's when he notices the glint of silver. Edward's pant leg had ridden up just enough to expose about an inch of his auto mail leg. With a grin the man grabs Edward.'s jacket and rips it off of him.

"How about I take another one of your limbs? That ought to teach you," growls the man, as he grab's Ed's right arm.

"NO!" screams Edward, while the man chuckles as he brings the blade of the knife to Edward's shoulder and drags it downward, cutting through skin and deep into the muscle. Edward screams in fear and pain as the man makes another cut just as deep and painful as the first. Suddenly a fist connected with Edward's face hard enough to temporarily make him black out.

When Edward came to again, the man was still slicing into his arm, and all Edward could feel was pain. Tears begin to stream down Ed's face as more and more pain is inflicted upon him. Edward looks at the man, he was grinning as he worked, but Ed also noticed a pink tint to his cheeks and his eyes had darkened, and his pupils were dilated. Was the man on some sort of drug? Was that why he was hurting Edward so brutally without a care in the world? Then as Edward's gaze trails lower he notices a bulge in the man's pants. Edward's eyes widen and his gut churns as he realizes that the man was getting pleasure from watching Edward's pain. Edward gags, and the man's gaze snaps to Edward.

"Shut-up!" he snaps, before punching Edward again. "Not a sound from you, or I'll kill you here and now!" screeches the man. Edward whimpers, which causes the man to punch him again. Then the man goes back to cutting Edward's arm. Edward tried as hard as he could to hold back his screams of pain, knowing that doing so would only cause more pain. And then Edward hears a sickening pop and the man grins, as he holds up Ed's arm for Edward to see.

"Not much of an arm, huh? You're such a little runt," says the man. "I think I'll let you keep this as a reminder not to come into my alley ever again." Then the man drops the arm into Edward's lap and walks away. Edward looks at the severed arm before screaming, a horrible, blood curdling scream, full of the pain and terror he'd had to hold in while the man had cut off his arm.

Afterward, Edward passes out from the shock and pain. His last thought being, _I'm going to die here. I'm sorry mom, Alphonse. I'm sorry that I can't be there to help you anymore._

End Chapter

**A/N: Thanks for reading chapter eleven! Okay so when I was getting ready to post this chapter I realized that I haven't uploaded my last couple of chapters...can you say "dumbass"? Yeah...so now I know why no one has been reviewing...Now you get three chapters in one day! Yay for you guys! I'm really sorry it took me so long to update. If I complained in the last two chapters about lack of reviews, just ignore me. I don't know what I'm talking about. Geeze...talk about blonde moment! Anyway, I hope you like these three chapters, and I'm sorry for forgetting to actually post the chapters. My brain decided that uploading the chapters was good enough I guess. LOL...so the chapters have been sitting there waiting to be added to the story...lol. I must just be out of it. And here I thought I was doing good updating too. Oh well, compared to my other stories, I am doing good! Lol Please review! Sayonara! =]**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve**

Trisha Elric, was sitting in the living room, reading a book, and waiting for the casserole she had put in the oven to be finished. Al was over at the Rockbell house playing with Winry, but was due to be back home soon. Just as Trisha finished the page she was on, the phone rings. Trisha reaches over and answers the phone, hoping that it was Edward, calling to tell her about his day, just like he always did at that time of night.

"Hello?" says Trisha, placing a bookmark in her book, and laying it in her lap.

"Yes. My name is Lieutenant Colonel Maes Hughes. Is this Trisha Elric I'm speaking to?" asks a man, who clearly wasn't her son.

"Yes, it is. May I ask why you're calling Lieutenant Colonel?" asks Trisha, politely.

"Well, it's about your son, Edward," says Hughes, hesitantly. Trisha knew that something was very wrong at that moment. Something terrible had happened to her son.

"Please, just tell me what happened to him. What happened to my son, Edward?" asks Trisha, barely containing her worry and tears.

"Your son, Edward, is in the hospital, Ms. Elric. Someone did some very serious harm to him," says Hughes, regretfully.

"What happened?" asks Trisha, weakly. Her son was hurt again, and it was serious.

"We're not sure how or why, but Edward's arm..." Hughes trails off, unsure if he should tell Trisha just what had happened to her son.

"Tell me. I can handle it," says Trisha, forcing her voice to come out strong and confident, which was the exact opposite of how she felt at that moment.

"I'll just be blunt then. Edward's arm has been removed from his body. It looks as though someone literally sliced it off. He's unconscious right now, and the drugs that the doctors pumped into him will make sure that he stays that way for at least the rest of the night, but I'm sure that when he wakes up he's going to want to see his mother and little brother," says Hughes. "Now, I already set things up with the train station there in Resembool, and I also have a place for you to stay, lined up. All you need to do is pack some things and be on the 8:00 train to Central." Trisha was in shock. Her son had lost another limb. But even more horrible was that someone had taken it from him. Why would anyone want to do that to her son?

"Thank you, Lieutenant Colonel. Alphonse and I will be there," says Trisha, before hanging up the phone and calling Pinako.

"Rockbell auto mail," says Pinako.

"Pinako, could you please send Alphonse home? We need to go to Central right away, it's an emergency," says Trisha, her voice cracking at the end.

"What's wrong, Trisha?" asks Pinako.

"Edward is in the hospital. He's been hurt. We need to go to Central to see him," says Trisha, her eyes welling up with tears.

"I'll send Alphonse home right away Trisha. Is there anything I can do to help you?" asks Pinako.

"No, thank you," says Trisha, before hanging up. Afterward, she sits in her chair trying to absorb everything that she had just heard. Edward's arm had been cut off by someone, and no one knew why or by who. No one, except Edward, who was unconscious. Why did her son have to go through so much pain and suffering? What had he done to deserve it? Trisha, gets up and begins packing two bags, one for her and one for Al. Then she goes to the kitchen and pulls the casserole out of the oven. It was done, so she wraps the dish in a towel, and places it in a basket with two forks and two plates. She and Al could eat it on the way to Central.

When Al got home, he looked worn out from running, and he seemed a little worried. "Aunt Pinako said that you wanted me to come home right away. Is something wrong?" asks Al, still a little breathless from his run.

"Edward is in the hospital in Central. He's been hurt pretty badly, and the man who called me said that we had to be on the eight o'clock train to Central," says Trisha.

"Who called you?" asks Alphonse, as he grabs his suit case and follows Trisha towards the door. Now that Al was home, Trisha wasn't wasting any time in getting to the train station.

"Lieutenant Colonel Maes Hughes," says Trisha.

"That's the man who Ed was staying with," says Al, excitedly. "Ed says that he's really nice."

"He seemed very kind over the phone," says Trisha. Al could tell that Trisha was worried about Ed. Whatever happened to him must be very serious. What was it?

"Mom, why is brother in the hospital?" asks Al.

"Someone did something horrible to your brother. They –" Trisha's words are cut off with a sob. She couldn't bring herself to say, out loud, what had been done to her oldest son.

"Will he be okay?" asks Al, realizing that his mom couldn't tell him what had happened to Ed exactly.

"I don't know, Al," says Trisha. When they reach the train station, Trisha goes to the ticket counter.

"I need two tickets to Central, for the eight o'clock train," says Trisha.

"Hello Trisha, I have your tickets here," says the woman. She hands Trisha two tickets. "They're already paid for. Enjoy your trip." Trisha takes the tickets and she and Al board the train.

Roy was running late to his dinner at the Hughes' house. Gracia had invited him – through Edward Elric – to have dinner at her house. Hawkeye had insisted – more like threatened, with a gun to his head. – that he finish his paper work before he left the office. Now he had about five minutes before he had to be there, so he decided to take a short cut through an alley. Just as he was entering the alley,

he hears a blood curdling scream.

Roy had never heard such a sound in his life, and if he had it his way, he'd never hear it again. It sounded like it was nearby, so Roy decides to take a quick detour and investigate. The Hughes family would understand, if he told them that he was late because he was helping someone. They'd be more upset with him if he was on time because he hadn't helped the person who had screamed.

When Roy turns the corner he sees someone laying up against the wall in a pool of blood. When he gets closer he realizes that the person was Edward Elric and that his arm was laying in his lap, completely detached from his body! Ignoring the churning in his stomach, Roy rushes to Ed's side to help him. Roy looks at the area where Ed's arm had been and finds that it had been cut off of him with some sort of knife. The wound was too clean for it to have been anything else.

Looking around for something to use to treat Edward's wound, Roy realizes that his options were limited. He could use his shirt or Ed's shirt to cover the wound and hope like hell that it stopped bleeding, or he could use his flame alchemy to sear the wound closed, which was more painful, but would stop the bleeding. Looking down at Ed's unconscious face, Roy decides that stopping the bleeding was more important than worrying about the pain. Ed was – after all – unconscious and therefore probably wouldn't feel it.

With that thought in mind, Roy slips on his gloves and concentrates on what he was hoping to accomplish by doing this, before snapping his fingers.

When Mustang gets to to the Hughes' apartment he rings the bell. Maes answers the door with a large grin on his face that quickly vanishes when he sees Edward's unconscious body in Roy's arms.

"What happened?" asks Hughes.

"I don't know. I heard screaming and when I found him he was already like this. He was in the alley across the street. Hughes, whoever did this, they _cut off_ his arm," says Roy, angrily. He was disgusted that anyone could do this to a child.

"Bring him in and lay him on the couch. I'll warn Gracia so that she doesn't come out and see him in this shape. I'll call an ambulance," says Hughes. Roy nods and takes Edward into the living room. He lays him on the couch before unwrapping him and inspecting the wound again.

Cauterizing the wound closed had been a success, and the bleeding had stopped, but now the wound was a rather nasty burn wound instead. He could only hope that the doctors would be able to save him from here.

End Chapter

**A/N: Thanks for reading and for reviewing! Still can't believe I forgot to post those chapters...sorry again! Hmm...I'm not thrilled with this chapter, but I guess it'll do. I decided that the ending was good enough, which is why I ended it here. Sorry if it seems like a short chapter...but it does meet my 1500 word minimum...even without the A/N...Okay, i'm just rambling...please review! Sayonara! =]**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen**

When Edward woke up, it was to the sound of beeping, and the feeling that something was wrong. The sudden jolt of pain in his right shoulder confirmed his suspicions that something was definitely wrong. Groaning, Edward sits up, holding his injured shoulder, and realizes that the area was nothing more than a stump. His arm was gone! Edward gasps and looks over at the stump, just as the door opens.

"Oh! You're awake!" says Trisha, surprised, before rushing over to his side. "I'm so sorry, sweetheart, I had to use the restroom." Edward looks up at his mother's worried face, and tears well up in his eyes. So that nightmare wasn't a dream after all? That man really did cut his arm off. Then Trisha was hugging him, and he couldn't stop the sobs that wracked his body.

"I know, sweetheart. I'm sorry that this had to happen to you. I just wish there were some way that I could make it go away for you," says Trisha, remorsefully. It's then that Edward realized that his mother was hurting again, and it was his fault. He had gone and gotten himself hurt again, and his mom was trying to blame herself for something that wasn't her fault.

"No, it's not your fault. You didn't do anything wrong," says Edward, trying to force the tears to stop so that he could be strong for his mom. "It was that man. He did this, not you." Trisha pulls away from Edward enough to look into his eyes.

"Who did this to you?" asks Trisha, her eyes burning with a mix of emotions that Edward couldn't quite figure out.

"I don't know his name," says Edward.

"Why did he do this to you?" asks Trisha, her eyes darkening with anger that Edward had never seen before. He had never seen his mother truly angry before. The memory comes crashing back and it was like that man was the one standing over him instead of his mom. Edward shudders and shakes his head, trying to shake off the fear.

"He said that I was in his alley," whimpers Edward, shaking uncontrollably. The fear from being pinned down while that man cut his arm off, was just too much, but it was worse, because the man was getting sexual gratification from the act. The realization that the act had been sexual for that man made things even worse. A sudden wave of nausea hits Edward, causing him to gag and dry heave, painfully. He hadn't eaten in a while so there was nothing for him to vomit, but he wanted to. Trisha grabs a hospital pan and lays it in front of Edward, before rubbing his back.

"It's okay if you don't want to talk about it anymore right now, sweetheart. I'm sorry for asking you to talk about it," says Trisha, guiltily. Once the dry heaves stopped, Edward hugs Trisha.

"It's not your fault," says Edward.

"I shouldn't have let you leave Resembool. I should have made you stay, Then none of this would have happened," whispers Trisha, brokenly.

"No, mom, you did the right thing. I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time," says Ed, tightening his one armed grip on his mother.

Just then the door opens again. Edward pulls away from Trisha and looks over at the door to see Al walking in looking a little sheepish. Behind him was Maes Hughes.

"Brother, you're awake!" says Al, excitedly, when he notices Ed watching him.

"Hey there, Al," says Ed, wearily. Al walks over to the bed and sits down on the edge.

"How do you feel, brother?" asks Al, eying Ed's shoulder. "That looks painful."

"It is, but I'm feeling okay otherwise," says Ed. It was a lie. At that moment he was scared, his shoulder was killing him, and he felt nauseous, but he was done making everyone worry about him. Especially Al and his mom.

"Would you like me to get a nurse for you?" asks Hughes. "I might have to wrestle Roy, but I'm sure I could get you one." Edward had to smile at Hughes' attempt at making a joke at that moment. It felt good to have someone make light of the situation, even if it was in a small way. It helped him to be able to push his fears back and put on a straight face.

"That's okay," says Ed. "Don't want to deprive Mustang of his chance to flirt." Hughes laughs.

"You're probably right. One of these days Hawkeye is going to shoot him for real and he's going to be assigned to one of those nurses. He should make nice now, while they aren't cleaning up after him," says Hughes, jovially. Trisha looks at Ed and Hughes, her expression quizzical. How could they joke at a time like this? Knowing her son, he was doing it so that no one would worry about him, and Mr. Hughes seemed to be doing it to cheer Edward up. After staying at his apartment the night before, she knew that he was a kind and caring man, and his wife was just as kind as he was.

"I got to hold Elysia, brother," says Al, cheerfully. Ed's face lights up and he grins.

"Really? How was it? I told you she was little, didn't I?" says Ed, proudly.

"Yeah. She's so tiny and soft, but she seemed to like me," says Al, happily.

"Yeah. I think she likes everyone," says Ed. Then a doctor comes in carrying a clip board.

"Oh, you're awake. How do you feel?" asks the doctor, coming over to inspect the wound. Al gets up and moves to the chair in the corner so that he's out of the way, while the doctor unwraps Ed's shoulder.

"Everything is looking good. The burn isn't infected, which is good," says the doctor.

"Burn?" asks Ed. He hadn't been burnt by that man...had he?

"Yes. Colonel Mustang had to cauterize the wound to stop the bleeding. It was reckless of him, because he doesn't have any medical experience, but it saved your life, young man," says the doctor.

"Is he the one who found me?" asks Ed.

"Yeah. He said that he found you in the alley across the street from my apartment complex," says Hughes. "He brought you to my apartment to call an ambulance."

"I just wanted to take a short cut," whispers Ed, sadly. "I'm sorry that all of this happened. That I put you all through so much trouble on my account."

"This isn't your fault, Edward. You didn't do anything wrong," says Hughes.

"He's right, Edward. You're just lucky to be alive," says Trisha. After the doctor re-bandages Ed's shoulder, he checks the bruises on Edward's face.

"I'll send a nurse in to give you some painkillers. The old ones should be wearing off soon. I'll also have a meal sent up to you. You've been out for about 36 hours now, so I'm sure you're getting hungry," says the doctor, as he writes something on the clipboard.

"Thank you," says Ed, as the doctor walks back out.

"You should thank Mr. Mustang the next time you see him, Edward," says Trisha.

"I will," says Ed.

The next morning Ed wakes up and looks around the room. Sitting in the chair in the corner was Roy Mustang, sleeping. Then Ed notices his mom sitting in the chair right next to him. She was reading a book, or at least, staring at the book.

"Good morning," says Edward, groggily, causing Trisha to jump. She looks over at Edward and smiles warmly.

"Good morning, little man. How do you feel?" asks Trisha.

"Better than yesterday," says Edward.

"Good," says Trisha, pleased. Edward looks over at Mustang.

"Why is he in here?" asks Ed.

"He came in last night to see you, but you had already fallen asleep. We were talking a little bit, but then he just fell asleep there," says Trisha. "He seems like a very kind man."

"I guess," mumbles Ed. Ed still thought that he was a pain in the ass, but he wasn't going to tell his mom that. "What did you talk about?"

"He was asking me about Hoenheim, and about you boys," says Trisha. Suddenly Ed was furious. That bastard! He was trying to drill his mom about Hoenheim! He was using her and taking advantage of the situation!

"Could you get me something to eat?" asks Ed.

"Of course, sweetie," says Trisha, before getting up and walking out of the room. Ed reaches over to his bedside table and grabs the box of Kleenex before throwing them at Roy, hitting him in the face.

"YOU _BASTARD_!" he screeches, causing Roy to jump.

"What the hell did I do?" demands Roy, not exactly thrilled to be woken up in such a rude manner.

"You're using the fact that I'm in the hospital to question my mom about Hoenheim!" accuses Ed.

"I was doing no such thing!" argues Roy. "I was simply having a conversation with your mother! That's what adults do! But since you're too little to understand –"

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING A PIPSQUEAK, MIDGET?" screeches Edward, as he throws the bed pan at Roy, next.

"Hey, quit with the throwing stuff!" shouts Roy, angrily, after ducking his head to avoid being hit.

"If you weren't being a bastard, I wouldn't throw things at you!" retorts Ed. "And don't interrogate my mom!"

"I wasn't interrogating her! Like I said, we were just talking," says Roy, calmly.

"About Hoenheim? You expect me to believe that the two of you were just _talking_ and Hoenheim just so _happened_ to come up. That you had no ulterior motives, like – oh I don't know – _interrogating my mom_!"

"That's exactly what I want you to believe, because it's _true_," argues Roy. "Besides, she's the one who brought him up, not me." Ed could believe that. Trisha was always talking about Hoenheim.

"What'd she say?" asks Ed.

"Just that he left when you and your brother were little, and that you took on the role of man of the house at a young age. She's very proud of you, Edward. Of you and your brother, both," says Roy. Ed blushes at the indirect praise from his mother.

"She still believes that he'll come back, but he won't. He walked out on us, and he's never coming back," says Ed, his grip on his sheets tightening.

"Is that why you went to search for him?" asks Roy.

"You talked to her about that bastard last night. Didn't you see the sadness in her eyes?" asks Ed. Roy nods. He had seen it. You had to be blind not to see it. "Every day she gets sadder, and her smiles – the real, genuine smiles – become less and less. Al and I just want those smiles to come back."

"So you took it upon yourself to scour the country looking for him?" asks Roy, incredulously. What eleven year old boy would do something like that for their mom? Most eleven year old boys were too engrossed in playing with their friends to care about stuff like that.

"I had to! It's not like there was anyone else that would do it," says Ed, frustrated. "Not even Al would do it. He stayed home to keep mom company, which is fine, he was right to do that."

"Why couldn't you just take your mother's word that he was coming back?" asks Roy.

"If he was going to come back he would have by now. He should know what his absence is doing to her and Al. He should know that it's hurting them, and he should want to come home and make it right, but he just sends letters saying how much he loves us and promising to come home soon," says Edward, angrily.

"I think he'll come back, Edward. One of these days, he'll return," says Roy.

"And when he does I'm going to punch him in the face," growls Edward.

End Chapter

**A/N: Thanks for reading chapter thirteen. This is a long freaking story, I tell you what...lol. Actually, to be honest, I don't see this story being less than twenty chapters long. Although when I wrote this my plans were way different than what you see now...but I guess I could always write a new fanfiction...actually I do have ideas for a couple of fanfics, so this definitely won't be my last FMA fic...but I'm going to finish this one before I start on any others. Now that I've rambled enough, thank you for all of the great reviews that I've received so far! They've been amazing! And please continue to review! Sayonara! =]**


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen**

When Trisha came back in, she was carrying a tray with a plate of toast and eggs as well as a glass of orange juice. "Here you go, little man. Eat up, you'll need the protein," says Trisha.

"Thanks, mom," says Edward, before beginning to eat. Trisha turns so that she's facing Roy.

"Thank you, again, for saving my son. If there is any way that I can repay you, please, don't hesitate to ask," says Trisha, bowing respectfully to Roy.

"Oh no, don't worry about it, Mrs. Elric. I would have done the same for anyone else," says Roy. "It is my job, after all, as a state alchemist."

"Still, it happened to be my son that you saved. I am forever indebted to you," says Trisha. Ed scoffs from his place on the bed.

"It really wasn't that big of a deal, mom. Just invite him to Resembool for dinner or something," says Ed.

"Edward!" chastises Trisha. "This is the man who _saved you life_. We owe him a great debt."

"Thanks for saving me in that alley, bastard. I owe ya one," says Edward, before taking another bite of his food.

"Edward Elric! You shouldn't speak to him like that! What is wrong with you today?" asks Trisha. Ed was still mad at him for talking to Trisha about Hoenheim, that was what was wrong.

"Sorry," says Ed, without looking up from his plate.

"Apology accepted. It seems like manners are in short supply this morning," says Roy.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SMALL THEY COULD FIT BETWEEN THE GROOVES ON THE BOTTOM OF A SHOE?" screeches Edward, angrily.

"That isn't what he said, Edward," chastises Trisha."Please, excuse my son, he must still be a little sleepy."

"It's perfectly understandable," says Roy.

"How about, to repay you for saving him, I make a nice dinner for you. You'll have to come to Resembool though," says Trisha.

"Just tell me the time and place and I'll be there," says Roy.

A couple of weeks later Ed was back in Resembool with his family. He was scheduled to get the operation for an auto mail arm in a few weeks, so for now he was outside reading a book, while sitting on the swing that was hanging in the tree out front.

As he's reading, Ed hears foot steps coming towards the house and looks up to find Roy Mustang and Riza Hawkeye coming up the path. Ed closes the book in his lap and glares at Roy, who see him and smirks before waving.

"Hey there, kid! Good to see that you're out of bed," says Roy, cheerfully, as he and Riza approach the house.

"Unlike you, some of us have things to do," retorts Ed, just as the front door opens and Trisha steps out.

"Oh, you're here! Welcome!" says Trisha, happily.

"Thank you for inviting us," says Roy, holding out a basket with a bottle of wine sticking out from under the piece of checkered cloth that covered the basket. "I brought a gift, as thanks for inviting us to dinner."

"Thank you, how thoughtful," says Trisha, as she accepts the basket from Roy. "You didn't have to bring anything though. You saved my son after all."

"I was just doing my job," says Roy.

"You have a lovely home," says Riza, looking up at the house. "I can see why living out in the country, like this, would appeal to someone. It seems like a nice place to raise a family."

"Thank you," says Trisha. "Why don't you come in? Dinner isn't quite ready yet, but I could make some tea. Edward, Alphonse wanted you to help him with something in the study."

"Okay," says Ed, getting up and going inside. Roy and Riza follow Trisha into the house, where they're then led to the dining room.

"Please, have a seat wherever. I'll go make some tea," says Trisha. Roy and Riza sit down at the table and look around the house. Just then Al comes in carrying a bucket of rocks.

"Hello, Alphonse," says Riza. Al stops and looks at her and Roy.

"Oh! Hello Lieutenant Colonel, and Colonel. I forgot that you two were supposed to be coming today," says Al, cheerfully.

"Please, you can just call me Riza."

"Yeah, and I'm just Roy today."

"Oh, okay then," says Al, looking down at the rocks.

"So, what are you planning to do with those rocks?" asks Riza.

"Ed and I are going to play soldiers with them. We'll transmute the rocks into soldiers," says Al.

"That sounds fun," says Riza.

"Yeah. It's good practice too," says Al, proudly. "Our teacher taught us that we shouldn't let our skills get rusty, but since Ed can't spar with me, we have to settle for doing alchemy."

"I see. Who taught the two of you?" asks Roy.

"Izumi Curtis, from Dublith," says Al.

"I've never heard of her," says Roy.

"She and Sig keep to themselves, mostly. So it's not surprising that you haven't heard of her," says Al, just as Trisha walks in carrying a tray.

"Al, why do you have a bucket of rocks in the house? We talked about this, rocks stay outside," says Trisha, as she lays the tray on the table.

"I know, but Ed told me to go get them," says Al.

"You don't have to do everything your brother says just because he's older than you. You know the rules, so please take the bucket back outside. If you want to play with rocks, play outside with them, and don't throw them at the house," says Trisha.

"Okay, mom," says Al, turning back towards the back door of the house.

"After that, go tell your brother that there is tea out here if he wants some," says Trisha.

"Okay," says Al, before leaving the room. Trisha sighs and turns back to Roy and Riza.

"Do either of you take cream or sugar?" asks Trisha.

"Just two sugars," says Riza.

"Same here," says Roy. Trisha nods and adds sugar to their tea before handing them the cups.

"It looks like you have your hands full with those two," says Riza, conversationally.

"Sometimes. But they're good boys, both of them.," says Trisha, proudly. "They have hearts of gold."

"Edward seems to have a bit of a stubborn streak," says Roy.

"Yes, but his heart is always in the right place.," says Trisha. "As soon as I got him back to Resembool he began talking about becoming an alchemist for hire around town. He wants to make some extra money for us. But he's only eleven, and besides that he hasn't gotten his auto mail yet." Roy chuckles.

"He's going to work himself to the bone, but it's only because he cares about you and Alphonse," says Roy. Trisha smiles warmly as she stirs her cup of tea.

"I know he does, but I wish he would act more like the eleven year old boy that he is, and less like the adult he tries to be. For his own sake," says Trisha. "He's going to be twelve soon. He should be hanging out with other children his age."

"I think that Edward is just happy to do whatever it takes to make you happy. He seems like the type of young man that would do whatever he wants regardless of what other people tell him," says Riza.

"He's always been that way. Ever since he was little," says Trisha. "Did you know that he lost his leg when he was seven? He'd been hit by a train."

"Really?" asks Roy.

"When he was told that the surgery and rehabilitation for an auto mail leg was going to take him three years, he told Pinako that he would do it in one. I watched him for a whole year, as he relearned how to do simple things with his new auto mail. It would take him weeks just to learn how to move his toes, and then his ankle, and then it came time for him to learn to walk. That was the hardest thing to watch. You could see how much it hurt him, and he'd get so tired, but he would persevere. When he would fall, he'd just get back up and try again and again. My poor son would be in so much pain that it would make him physically ill, but he never gave up."

"That's amazing! And he was only seven years old?" says Riza, in awe at Ed's will power. Just then Ed comes out and sits in the chair next to Trisha, which was also next to Riza.

"Can I have some tea?" asks Ed. Trisha smiles and nods before getting up and walking over to the china cabinet for a cup. Ed watches her as she pours his tea and adds honey to it, just like he liked it. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," says Trisha.

"So, Edward, when are you going to get your auto mail arm?" asks Roy.

"In a few weeks. I have to wait for my arm to heal a little before Pinako and Winry can attach the port," says Ed.

"I've heard that it's painful," says Riza.

"It makes losing the limbs seem like a small scratch in comparison," says Ed, before taking a sip. "I've heard that grown men, soldiers, scream during the procedure."

"That sounds awful," says Riza.

"I'm going to go check on dinner. Be polite, Edward," says Trisha, before walking out of the room. Edward reaches into his pocket and pulls out the armor figurine that Al had made him back when he was seven and getting the port for his auto mail leg.

"The difference between them and me is that I have people there for me, supporting me through all of it," says Ed, holding up the figurine for Roy and Riza to see. "My brother made this for me so that I would never forget that I had people counting on me."

"That's an impressive figurine," says Riza. "Very detailed." Ed nods and puts the figurine in his pocket again.

"Once I get my arm I'm going to look for a job," says Ed. "Hoenheim sends us money, but it's never enough. So I'm going to go into town and ask around. I'm sure I can find something."

"You have your whole life for that. Why not just be a kid?" asks Riza.

"I don't have time for that!" snaps Ed. "Hoenheim left us, and as the oldest son I've become the man of the house! That means that I have to provide for my family! And I will! In one year I will have a new arm and I'll be ready to get a job."

"Well seeing as how you're stubborn and I can already tell that nothing I say will change your mine; good luck, Fullmetal," says Roy

End Chapter

**A/N: YAY! It's done! LOL sorry it took so long. I had to work a three day weekend so I didn't have time. I would have had this posted like yesterday or something, but I have the attention span of a monkey, and internet...so I get distracted. Anyway, Roy called Ed "Fullmetal"! Dun dun dun...why did he do that? You'll have to find out in the next chapter...hmm...also, quick question...does anyone find any of my characters to be OOC? If so how are they OOC? Please let me know and I'll try to fix it...I kind of think I have a couple of characters wrong...Okay so that's all I have to say! Please review! Sayonara! =]**


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fifteen**

"'Fullmetal'?" asks Edward, confused by the sudden nickname. Edward thinks about the name. Fullmetal seemed like a strong, intimidating name. The more he thought about it, the more he liked it, but he had to wonder why Mustang would call him by something like that.

"Sure. You're obstinate, and unyielding, like metal or steel," says Roy. **(A/N: curiosity got the better of me so I used google translate to figure out what **_**Hagane no renkinjutsu-shi **_**meant. It literally translated to **_**"Steel Alchemy-The" **_**Hence Roy's comment about steel and metal. Back to the story!) **

Just then, Trisha comes back carrying a pot of stew, which she places on the table. Al comes in carrying a basket of dinner rolls, which he sits next to the stew. "I'll get the bowls and spoons," says Trisha, before walking away.

"It smells great," says Riza. Trisha comes back with five bowls and spoon, as well as some butter and butter knives for the rolls.

"Help yourselves," says Trisha, with a warm smile on her face. Dinner was a mostly sielnt affair, since everyone was too busy eating to speak, but once everyone had made it through their first bowls, Roy, Ed, and Al had moved onto their second bowls and conversation picked back up.

"Have you found anything else out about the man who had hurt Edward?" asks Trisha. Ed and Al stop eating long enough to stare at Roy, who was chewing the bite he had put in his mouth just as Trisha had asked her question. He also seemed to be thinking while he ate.

"To be honest, we just don't have enough details. I was hoping to speak with Edward, alone, about the attack. Maybe he could tell me more than what he had at the hospital. A description would be nice," says Roy, causing Ed to gulp. Ed had refused to talk at the hospital, so they only had what he had told Trisha, to go by.

"Would that be okay, Edward? Have you had enough time, that you could talk about it?" asks Trisha. If Ed were being completely honest, the answer would be no, but then he would probably never be able to talk about it. At the same time, he knew that if he stayed quiet, the military wouldn't be able to find the man and therefore someone else would suffer the same fate, if not a worse one.

"I guess, but only if it's just me and Mustang. No one else," says Ed, refusing to look up from his stew.

"Of course. That's fine by me," says Mustang.

"The two of you could use the study, or the boys' bedroom," says Trisha.

"I'll leave that up to Fullmetal," says Mustang.

After dinner Mustang and Ed go to Ed and Al's room. Edward had decided that it would be more comfortable because he had always felt safer in his own bedroom. Mustang had a notebook and pen in his hand so that he could write down their conversation. When they get into the room, Ed goes and lays on the bottom bunk, which he was stuck with until his arm was fixed. His mom didn't like the idea of him climbing the ladder to the top bunk, with only one hand.

"Okay, Edward. Tell me all about that day. Starting with the time and place," says Mustang.

"Well I realized that I was supposed to be getting back to the Hughes' house around 5:30, so I guess it was probably about 5:45. And it was the alley where you found me," says Ed.

"Okay, so what were you doing there?" asks Mustang.

"I was taking a short cut, so that I could get back to the apartment faster," says Edward.

"What was the man doing?" asks Mustang, as he writes down what Ed was saying.

"I don't know. One second I was running through the alley, and the next thing I knew, he had me by the arm and had thrown me against the wall," says Edward, closing his eyes as he tried to remember everything. He could recall the smell of rotting garbage in the dumpster, and the smell of the man's cologne. The feel of the man's grip on his arm, it had been bruising. He'd had the hand print on his left arm to prove it. He could also remember the pain from hitting his head against the wall.

"What was the first thing you said?" asks Mustang.

"I said 'damn, that hurt', because my head had hit the wall," says Ed, as he remembers the moment with perfect clarity.

"And what did the man say?"

"He said 'That's not the only thing that's going to hurt, kid. What do you think you're doing, walking around in my turf?'" says Ed. "That's when I got a look at him. He was really big, with a lot of muscles, and he was bald. His eyes were dark colored, but I didn't get a good enough look to tell you what color."

"Okay, and what did you say to him?" asks Mustang, as he writes down the description.

"I told him what was up! I let him know that it wasn't his alley, and I may or may not have called him a jackass," admits Edward. He knew now that he should have kept his mouth shut, but at the time he was just mad that some guy was thinking that he owned the alley and that he could tell him what to do. Ed didn't take people's shit. He never had, and never would. Looking back, the only thing Ed would have changed, was that he would have given the man a good kick in the groin, with his left leg.

Mustang sighs heavily. Of course Edward would have called the man a 'jackass'. At this rate Ed was lucky he left with at least one arm, and both legs. "So what did he say to that?" asks Roy.

"That jackass called me a smart ass and asked me to repeat myself. So I did," says Ed, proudly, but that was where things went wrong. After that, the words just flowed from Edward. The whole story, from how the man had decided to take one of his limbs, and how the man had started cutting his arm off with the knife he had. The pain and fear that was going through Edward at the time.

"And as if that weren't enough," gasps Ed, between the sobs that had started at some point during Ed's story. "That bastard was enjoying every minute of it! He had the-the – " Edward wasn't sure how to finish that sentence.

"The what?" asks Mustang. Then Ed remembered the word he had found once while reading a book on the human body.

"Erection," whispers Ed, embarrassed by the word. "That sick bastard liked what he was seeing! He liked that I was in pain, and that I was scared. He was turned on by it." Suddenly, Mustang, was furious! That sicko practically raped Ed. If Mustang hadn't come along when he had, maybe the man would have. Maybe he had heard Roy coming and fled. "When I noticed, it had made me feel sick. I couldn't believe that he was enjoying my pain so much. I couldn't help it, I gagged, and the man punched me. Anytime I would make even the smallest noise, he would punch me. And then, towards the end, he grabs my arm, and I hear the most sickening popping sound, and suddenly my arm was being dropped in my lap," says Ed, shuddering at the memory of seeing his disembodied arm, sitting in his lap.

"Did he say anything else?" asks Mustang, struggling to keep the anger out of his voice. When he found the man who had done this to Edward, to a _child_, they were going to pay.

"He said, ' Not much of an arm, huh? You're such a little runt. I think I'll let you keep this as a reminder not to come into my alley ever again.'" whispers Edward, brokenly. "Afterward, he left me there. He probably hoped that I would die of blood loss before I was found. I was so scared and hurt, that all I could do was lay there, and think 'I'm going to die here.'" After that, Edward rolls onto his side, so that he was facing the wall. He couldn't bare to see the pitying look at he was more than likely receiving from Roy Mustang at that moment. He didn't want his – or anyone else's – pity.

Roy could only stare at Edward's back as he thinks about everything that Edward had told him. Edward had been hurt not only physically, but emotionally, and psychologically as well. Yet he was trying to deal with it on his own. He didn't want to let anyone else in, and Roy knew that that had included he, himself. It made him wonder why Ed had allowed the interview, but he could tell by the way that Ed was laying, that he wanted left alone.

"I think I have what I need now. Thank you, Fullmetal. I appreciate you coming out and telling me the story," says Roy, sincerely.

"I only did this so that you could catch the man who did this to me, before he hurts somebody else. I want your _word_ that he won't be able to strike again, that you'll catch him before that happens," says Ed, turning and sitting up so that he could look into Roy's eyes. "Promise me." Roy didn't want to make such a promise. He had no guarantee that the man would be stopped before he had a chance to strike again. But looking into those golden eyes so full of determination, he knew that he would do this, for Edward.

"I promise."

End Chapter

**A/N: Whoo, it's done! Chapter fifteen is complete. Sorry it took so long to update, but work sucks, and so does slight writer's block. I mean, I knew that I wanted that interview between Ed and Roy to happen, but I didn't know how to get it there. I hope you guys liked it. And thank you for all of the great reviews so far! You've all been great! So...the next chapter may or may not have another time skip...just because I've slowed down again and need to get things moving. Of course if I made my chapters longer we wouldn't have this problem, but most of that is out of habit, and if I made the chapters longer, it would take me even longer to update. **

**So thanks again for the reviews! Please review again! Ask questions, make suggestions, give advice, even just saying 'thanks for the update' is awesome! (because it's a review) Okay, so Sayonara! =]**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Before I start, This chapter is dedicated to Winrie McGeeky who was the person who gave me my 50th review! Thank you so so much to her and everyone else who reviewed! Without further ado, chapter 16...**

**Chapter Sixteen**

When Roy walks out of Ed and Al's room, he finds Trisha in the living room talking to Riza. They were talking about what it was like to live in Resembool. Trisha was saying that it was a peaceful life, and since it was a small town, everyone knew everybody, and helped each other when they needed it. Roy clears his throat and Trisha and Riza look up at him.

"Edward is resting. The interview was harder than I had thought it would be for him," says Roy.

"Will he be okay?" asks Trisha.

"Yes, I think given time and having the support of his family, Edward will be okay," says Roy, as he walks over and sits next to Riza on the couch.

"Was what happened really as bad as he said?" asks Trisha.

"He was only giving you part of the story, Mrs. Elric. The man did terrible things to your son. I believe that Ed will not only be physically scarred, but mentally," says Roy.

"What did that man do?" asks Trisha, horrified by what Roy was telling her.

"Edward noticed that the man was getting sexual gratification from the act, and while the man didn't actually rape Edward, it still had an impact on him," says Roy.

"How horrible!" gasps Trisha, as tears well up in her eyes. "Why did this happen to Edward? He didn't deserve this."

"I know that, and I'm going to do everything in my power to bring this man to justice," says Roy.

"I have faith in you," says Trisha.

That night, Ed and Al were asleep in their beds, but then Al wakes up because he kept hearing a strange noise. Al sits up, drowsily and listens again. It was a whimper, and it sounded like it was coming from below him. With a yawn, Al gets out of his bed and climbs down the ladder to check on Ed.

Edward was curled on his side whimpering, but then he rolls onto his back and holds up his arm in front of him in a defensive position. "No!" he shouts, in his sleep. At this point, Al realizes that Ed was having a nightmare. "NO! STOP!" screams Ed, as tears run down his cheeks. "Please," he whimpers.

Not knowing what to do, Al runs out of their room and goes to their mom's room. When he opens the door, he finds Trisha sleeping peacefully in her bed. "Mom," says Al, taking a hesitant step into the room. "Mom," he says a bit louder, when Trisha doesn't respond. Trisha opens her eyes and looks up at Al.

"What is it, sweetie?" asks Trisha, as she sits up.

"Ed is having a bad dream, and I can't get him to wake up," says Al. Trisha gets up and follows Al back to their room, where Ed was laying on his right side and crying.

"It hurts, please stop," whimpers Ed. Trisha rushes over to Ed and gently pushes him onto his stomach so that he wasn't putting pressure on the stump.

"Edward, sweetie, please, wake up," says Trisha, as she gently shakes him. Edward grabs her wrist in his left hand and squeezes it tightly.

"I'm sorry," he whimpers.

"It's okay, sweetheart, just wake up," says Trisha. Edward whimpers, his eyes shutting even tighter, before they open and Edward sits up, looking around the room frantically. His body was shaking and his forehead was sweating. "It was just a dream, sweetheart." Ed's gaze snaps to his mom, and he throws his arm around her as he buries his face in her neck.

"I'm sorry," he sobs.

"For what?" asks Trisha.

"Making you worry," says Ed.

"It's okay, sweetheart, don't worry about that," says Trisha. Al walks over and sits next to Ed. He lays the armor figurine in Ed's lap.

"I tried to wake you up, but you wouldn't, so I went and got mom," says Al.

"Thank you, Alphonse," says Ed, pulling away from Trisha and picking up the armor figure from his lap.

"Do you want to talk about the dream?" asks Trisha. Ed shakes his head.

"It was nothing, just a bad dream," whispers Ed.

_ Edward was back in that alley with that man towering over him, as he cut Ed's arm. Ed could feel the pain as the knife slowly cut away at the flesh and muscles and tendons, but he was seeing the damage as if he were the one doing the cutting. _

_ And then the perspective changed, and Ed was looking up at the face of the man who was cutting his arm. The man had a sadistic grin on his face and his pupils were dilated, his eyes glazed over with lust. Edward whimpers when he notices the bulge in the man's pants. Ad then all of a sudden, the man had dropped the knife and was working on undoing Ed's belt. _

_ "No!" shouts Edward, as the man gets his belt undone and begins working at the button. "NO! STOP!" screams Ed."Please," he whimpers, as he feels his pants being pulled down. _

_ "You're going to learn your lesson about smarting off to people," says the man, grabbing Ed, by the right shoulder, roughly, and shoving Edward onto his stomach. _

_ "It hurts, please, stop," begs Edward. "I'm sorry." _

_ "It's a little late to be apologizing," says the man. _

_ "It's okay, sweetheart, just wake up." Ed could hear his mom's voice, and so he forces his eyes shut. _And when he opens them, his mom was there, looking at him with a worried expression, and Ed realized that he was safe. It was all just a terrible dream.

A year and a half passes and Ed was 13. He had his auto mail arm, and was confident that it would be okay to get a job, so he was going into town with Al, to look for one. "What sort of job are you hoping to get?" asks Al, as they walk down the path.

"I don't really know," says Ed. "As long as I get paid, I guess it doesn't really matter."

"Do you think you'll get one that you can use your alchemy for?" asks Al.

"Maybe, but I'm not really worried about the alchemy. Teacher always said that if we could do something without alchemy, then we should," says Ed.

"Yeah, that's true. Do you think that I should look for a job too?" asks Al.

"No, that's okay. I'm getting a job so that you don't have to," says Ed.

"But I want to help too," says Al.

"I know you do, but this isn't your problem, Al. It's mine, and I don't need help," says Ed.

"But brother – ," Al starts, but is cut off by Ed turning and glaring at him.

"Just drop it! If you want to help so bad, then stay home and help mom around the house! Keep her company," says Ed. "Talk to her about that bastard, fill her head with more false hope, do whatever the hell you want! But you don't need to get a job!"

"What do you mean, brother?" asks Al.

"Every damn day, you tell her, 'dad's going to be home before we know it.' in that stupid, optimistic way of yours, but he's not!" bellows Ed.

"You don't know that, brother! He always says that he's going to come back, and I, for one, believe him! And so does mom! Just because you're mad at him, doesn't mean that mom and I have to be!" yells Al, angrily. Edward growls and turns away from Al, as he begins walking towards town again.

"You'll see, Al. He's not coming back," says Ed. Ed didn't want him back either, Hoenheim was wanted for murder after all. The case in Lior hadn't been solved, as far as Ed knew, and that meant that Hoenheim was still a suspect. Ed also knew that if Hoenheim did come home, he'd find out that he was wanted and have to leave again. He didn't think his mom could watch Hoenheim walk out twice – especially if he was in handcuffs and being escorted by the military.

"You're wrong, brother," mumbles Al, stopping on the bridge and looking at the two paths he could take. One of the paths led to Winry's house, and the other led into town. Al was so mad at Ed that he wanted to leave him to find a job on his own and go hang out with Winry, but at the same time, he wanted to support his pig-headed brother in his job hunt.

Ed, realizing that Al had stopped, turns to look at Al. "You coming?" asks Ed, seeming to no longer be angry. Al sighs heavily and nods.

"Yeah, I'm coming," says Al, before running over to Ed to catch up to him. Ed begins walking again.

"Hey, listen, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have blown up on you like that," says Ed. "I was just frustrated, and I took it out on you." Al, knowing how hard it would have been for Ed to admit that, smiles.

"Apology accepted, brother," says Al.

End Chapter

**A/N: Thanks for reading chapter 16! I hope you liked the chapter. I have finally reached my goal! So, I'm going to make a new goal! =] My new goal will be 75 reviews! And the same things apply. 75th review gets the writer a one shot with characters, plot, and rating of their choice, as well as a chapter dedication! YAY! So please help me reach my goal by giving me lots of reviews! Sayonara! =] **

**P.S. Does anyone think that I should possibly change the rating to M? **


	17. Chapter 17

**Before I get started on this chapter I would like to dedicate it to all of the people who have reviewed my story so far! So thank you so so much to the following:**

**SweetSerendipity, Akira Elric, awesomenaruto, Fullmetal Fan16, RenofAmestris, Freshberry4Ever, The Chosen One of Randomness, FullmetalDNAngel girl, Mel72000, Amiegirl17, Zanzibar1, SunlightMoonMax, InuXKag0.0, Crossover Addict, iNatix, VivaNewVegas, The Snow Crystal Alchemist, Perseus46, Annie, gundamzbd36, Winrie McGeeky, cgflare, Appleblx, and goldacharmed.**

**That is one long list! Thank you to all of you for the great reviews up till this point! Hopefully you continue to review! Oh, and sorry if I mispelled any of them...I wrote them on paper and then typed them...(don't ask why I didn't copy/paste I have no idea) so they might be spelled wrong...if I missed someone please let me know and I'll fix it! **

**Chapter Seventeen**

It had been a month since Ed's job hunt, and he was working at the Inn, mainly as a waiter and bus boy. It was the weekend, which meant that the Inn's restaurant was busy, and Ed was running around trying to keep up with his section of tables.

"Excuse me!" calls a man from one of the tables. Ed walks over to the table, after he finishes serving the table he was currently at. When he gets there, he notices that it was a new family, and he hadn't taken their orders yet.

"Welcome, our special tonight is fish and chips, with a side of coleslaw and hush puppies. Could I interest any of you in that?" asks Ed, as he pulls his paper and pen out of his apron.

"No thanks," says the man, gruffly.

"Okay, would you like to start with drinks first?" asks Ed. Busy days like this always stressed Ed out, and it was hard for him to act polite, but he'd already been warned once about his attitude, and if he was told again he would be fired.

"We'll all have tea," says the man.

"Okay, do you need more time to look at your menus?" asks Ed.

"Considering that we've all been sitting here for quite some time waiting for you to show up, we've already chosen," says the man. Ed wanted to punch the man, couldn't he see that they were packed?

"I'm sorry, sir. It's a busy day," says Ed, straining to not start screaming at him. The woman and young girl at the table were watching the man warily, Ed felt bad for them.

"That's no excuse!" snaps the man. Ed could feel the vein in his forehead pulsing.

"Okay, who should I start with? How about the young lady?" says Ed, turning his attention to the young girl, who was probably seven or eight. If he had to speak to the man again, he was going to start screaming.

The young girl blushes and looks back at her menu again. "Umm...can I have grilled cheese and french fries?" asks the girl.

"Of course. You get two sides with your grilled cheese though, so do you want apple sauce or mixed fruit or something to go with the fries and grilled cheese?" asks Ed.

"Umm...applesauce," says the girl.

"Okay, and for the mom?" says Ed, as he writes.

"I'll have the meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and green beans," says the woman.

"Dinner rolls or biscuits?" asks Ed.

"Rolls," says the woman.

"Okay, and for you, sir?" asks Ed, disdainfully turning his attention back to the man.

"I'll have the roast, mashed potatoes, and carrots, and biscuits," says the man, haltingly.

"Okay, I'll have that out here in a bit," says Ed, before walking back to the kitchen to drop off his slip and pick up his next order.

"You look slightly pissed," says one of the cooks. Her name was Emma, and she was always nice to Ed. They were actually the same age, she was working at the Inn because her uncle owned it and asked her to work for him.

"How could you tell?" murmurs Ed, as he loads up his tray.

"You just do. Customers giving you grief again?" she asks.

"Hell yeah. Can't they see we're just a little packed at the moment?" complains Ed. Emma giggles.

"Just hang in there, your shift is almost over," she says, with a warm smile. Ed grins at her, before going back out with his tray.

After serving a group of men, he gets the drinks for the family of three. When he gets to the table, with the tea, the man was complaining. "Really, who hires a kid to wait tables anyway?" asks the man. It was obvious that he meant Ed. Ed sets a cup of tea in front of the wife, followed by the daughter. When he goes to serve the husband his tea, Ed slams the cup down, causing most of the hot tea to slosh over the rim and into the man's lap, as well as over Ed's auto mail hand.

"Oh! I'm sorry!" says Ed, in a fake panic. He quickly moves his hands to clean up the man's lap, knocking the cup over, and causing what was left of the tea to go into the man's lap as well.

"You little shit!" bellows the man, before taking a swing at Ed. Ed ducks and grabs the man's wrist in his right hand.

"Let's not get violent, sir. It was just an accident!" says Ed, quickly, apologetic, but not actually sorry. "How about I go get you a new cup of tea, and I'll pay for the one I just spilled." He would pay for a million cups of tea if it meant he could "accidentally" spill them in the man's lap.

"Rodney please!" implores the wife. "He's only trying to do his job, I'm sure that he's telling the truth." Just then, the owner, Jeremy, walks out looking stern.

"Edward, what is going on here?" demands Jeremy. Ed releases Rodney's wrist and turns to face Jeremy.

"It was an accident, sir. I spilled some tea on this man's lap, but before I could help clean it up he took a swing at me," says Ed, trying to sound sincere and innocent.

"Is this true?" asks Jeremy, looking at Rodney, who looked like he wanted nothing more than to kill Ed at that moment.

"This kid had been nothing but rude to myself and my family! Then he comes over here and slams my cup down on the table, knowing that the tea would overflow into my lap!" accuses Rodney. Ed pulls his wet glove off of his right hand to show them his auto mail.

"It must have been a malfunction with my auto mail," says Ed. "I'm still getting used to it, after all." Jeremy knew about Ed's auto mail, and knew that it was still fairly new to Ed, so he could see where something like this could have happened because of it. "I'll talk to my mechanic about it tomorrow. I truly am sorry about the tea, sir."

"It's fine, Edward, was it?" asks the wife. "I've heard about auto mail before. I'm sure it was just an accident. Rodney just overreacted."

"I'm sorry about this," says Jeremy. "If you'd like I won't charge you for the tea."

"That would be fine," says the wife.

"Edward, get back to work," says Jeremy, before walking away. Ed sighs, and walks back to the kitchen to check on his order. Emma was plating it up when he went in.

"Hey, that about done?" asks Ed.

"Just about," says Emma. "So what was all of the commotion out there?"

"I may have 'accidentally' poured a hot cup of tea into that man's lap. He took a swing at me for it, and I said it was an auto mail malfunction," says Ed. Emma sighs heavily.

"If my uncle finds out that you did that you're going to be fired," says Emma, in exasperation. Ed was always doing things like this.

"That's why he _isn't_ going to find out. Right?" asks Ed, just as Jeremy walks in.

"Table 3 has a new group, go take their orders," says Jeremy. Ed nods and grabs the, now full, tray with Rodney's family's meals on it, before leaving the kitchen and going to the dining room. After serving Rodney and his family their meals he walks over to table three to find Roy Mustang, Riza Hawkeye, Trisha, and Al sitting at the table looking at menus.

"What are you guys doing here?" asks Ed, embarrassed.

"Oh! Hello sweetheart. Mr. Mustang and Ms. Hawkeye came over to pay us a visit and offered to take Al and I to dinner," says Trisha, cheerfully. Ed glares at Mustang.

"So what can I get you to drink?" asks Ed. He was already in trouble for trying to start something with Rodney, he couldn't start something with Mustang too, not yet anyway.

"I'll have a beer," says Roy.

"I'll have some lemonade," says Riza.

"Me too, please," says Trisha.

"Can I have milk?" asks Al. Ed had to resist the urge to gag as he wrote the word milk on the pad of paper in his hand.

"Okay, I'll be right back with those," says Ed, before walking away. When he gets to the kitchen he hands the slip to Emma. "Would have been nice if someone would have mentioned table three was my mom and brother."

"Really?" asks Emma, happily. "That's so great! But wait, who is with them?" asks Emma, noticing that she was getting ready to pour four drinks.

"Colonel Bastard and Lieutenant Colonel Hawkeye," says Ed, sarcastically.

"Bastard?" asks Emma.

"Fine, his real name is Mustang," groans Ed, before picking up the tray. "But he's a bastard." Emma giggles.

"Have fun, don't get into trouble," says Emma.

"I won't," says Ed, before walking back out and over to table three. When he got there, Trisha was telling Roy and Riza about the time Ed had escaped the house as a toddler and when she found him he was sitting in a mud puddle covered from head to toe in mud. Roy and Riza had started laughing. Blushing, Ed approaches the table and lays their drinks in front of them.

"Are you ready to order? Today's special is fish and chips," says Ed.

"I'll have that," says Roy.

"I'll have a cheeseburger and fries, please," says Riza. Ed nods.

"What would you like on it?" asks Ed.

"Lettuce, tomato, and mayonnaise," says Riza.

"Okay, what about you, mom?" asks Ed.

"I'll take the special, also," says Trisha.

"Al?" asks Ed.

"Spaghetti and meatballs and garlic bread," says Al, happily. Ed writes down their orders.

"Okay, I'll take this to the kitchen. If you need anything, let me know," says Ed, before walking back to the kitchen. Emma smiles at Ed as she takes the slip.

"You seem to be handling, having your family here, well," comments Emma.

"Hardly. My mom is telling Mustang my embarrassing childhood stories and I'm sure Al is going to jump in with a few of his own," says Ed. "I have to go check my other tables." With that, Ed leaves the kitchen and goes back to the dining room. After checking that everyone had what they needed, and that all of the empty tables in his areas were cleaned up, he goes back to the kitchen, glad to find that things were starting to slow down a little.

"I think my uncle went out to talk to your mom," says Emma, as she hands Ed his tray.

"What? Why?" asks Ed, slightly panicked by the news. If she found out about his little mishap with Rodney earlier she would be mad at him, not to mention worried. She didn't even want him to get a job, not really.

When Ed goes back to the table, Jeremy was nowhere to be seen, and they were talking happily, seeming to enjoy themselves. Ed was glad to see his mom and brother having a good time. They hardly ever got to go out to eat like this. Ed lays their plates in front of them and picks up the empty cups, making a mental not to get refills.

"Thank you, Edward," says Trisha.

"Is there anything else that I can get for you guys?" asks Ed.

"Can I get dessert?" asks Al, excitedly, causing Ed to chuckle.

"Eat your dinner, dear. Roy is the one paying for our meal, we don't want to over do it," says Trisha.

"Not at all, Trisha. If he wants dessert then it's no problem," says Roy. Since when were they on a first name basis? When Ed had come out the first time, Trisha was calling Roy "Mr. Mustang" so what changed in the course of fifteen minutes?

"I'll go get your drinks," says Ed, before walking back to the kitchen.

After his shift was over, Ed went home to find his mom sitting in the living room talking to Mustang and Hawkeye.

"Welcome home, dear. How was work?" asks Trisha.

"Busy," says Ed, before reaching into his pocket and pulling out his tips. He hands them to Trisha. "But I made a lot in tips." Even Rodney's family had tipped him, it hadn't been much, but it was something.

Trisha looks down at the money in her hand. Every day, since Ed had started, a month ago, Ed would come home and hand her his tips. She felt bad taking them, but he'd never let her give them back. She had even tried taking the money and putting it in his room while he slept, but it would always find its way back to her by morning.

She had at least talked him into keeping part of his paychecks, but he wouldn't keep the whole thing, and what he did keep, he kept in a bank account and wouldn't spend it.

"You know I don't like taking your money, Edward. You earned it. It's yours," says Trisha.

"I got it for all of us," says Ed. "I said that I would get a job so that we would have money. I know it's not much, but it's something."

"When Hoenheim comes home, things will be good again. You're thirteen, you should be out living your life how you want to, not spending all of your time in that restaurant," says Trisha.

"She's right, Edward. When I was your age I was going out with a different girl every weekend. You should do the same. It's what boys your age do," says Roy.

"You mean it's what womanizers like you do! I want to have this job and support my family," says Ed. Trisha counts the money in her hands and hands half of it back to Ed.

"Then, how about you take half. Don't put it in the bank, spend it on yourself. It would make me happy to see you spending your own money," says Trisha. Ed sighs and puts the money in his pocket.

"Fine," says Ed.

"Also, I heard you had a little trouble with your auto mail today at work. It's not bothering you is it?" asks Trisha.

"I'll be okay. It was just an accident," says Ed.

"Are you sure?" asks Trisha.

"Look, if it makes you feel better I'll tell Winry about it tomorrow," says Ed.

"Okay," says Trisha, before standing up and hugging Ed. "I'm going to bed. Could you get Roy some blankets? He'll be sleeping on the couch."

"What about Hawkeye?" asks Ed.

"She stayed at the inn. I'm staying here because I wanted to talk to you, Fullmetal," says Roy.

"What about?" asks Ed, as Trisha leaves the room.

"The man who took your arm. We've found him," says Roy.

End Chapter

**A/N: Thanks for reading! Sorry this is another filler chapter, but I thought you guys would like a look into Ed's new job before I went into who the guy who took his arm was...I'll also be getting into Hoenheim's whereabouts soon too...I know I kind of strayed from that...sorry...Thank you everyone for all of the great reviews so far! As promised, I wrote a short story for my 5th reviewer, called _The Hero of Kanama_! So if you guys were interested in that you could go check it out! Oh, and sorry about my being a slowpoke again...I've been busy...work and a birthday party for my niece and whatnot...plus I had to delete some of this chapter and change where I was taking things, because I didn't like the original idea I had started...So thanks for reading, please review! Thanks! Sayonara! =]**


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter Eighteen**

_ "The man who took your arm. We've found him," says Roy._

Ed couldn't believe what he was hearing. They'd found the man who had cut off his arm! Ed had to sit down as he took in the news. That sick, perverted, psycho had been found! "When did you find him?" asks Ed.

"A couple of days ago. He confessed to everything, but just to be safe, we'd like you to go to Central and verify that we have the right man," says Roy.

"Can I punch him?" asks Ed. Roy gives Ed a level look.

"No," he says, bluntly. "I understand why you would want to do that, but I simply can't allow it. Please understand." Ed rolls his eyes, but doesn't say anything.

"What's his name?" asks Ed.

"His name is Barry. He was a butcher. He told the man, conducting the interrogation, that cutting up meat simply wasn't enough anymore, so he decided to go after people instead," says Roy, his disgust clear in his voice.

"He certainly seemed to enjoy cutting my arm off," says Ed, his left hand going up to grab his right shoulder and shivering, almost imperceptibly, but Roy had noticed. That incident still got to Edward, and if he wanted to believe Barry, Ed was his only survivor. Roy wondered if Barry even knew that Ed had survived.

"I spoke to Trisha about the situation and she had no problem with me taking you to Central, but only if you thought you could handle it," says Roy.

"I want to. Whether I can handle it or not is irrelevant. If it turns out you have the wrong man, then I want to be able to tell you. I still remember what he looked like, I would be able to recognize him," says Ed, and Roy could see something in Ed's eyes as he spoke. He looked almost...haunted, and he probably was. Having a limb forcefully removed and then dropped in one's lap would stick with anyone, not to mention the man was sexually aroused from the act. That probably had an affect too.

"Okay, then tomorrow I'll let Trisha know of our plans," says Roy. At that point, Ed was reminded of something that he wanted to talk to Mustang about.

"Why do you keep calling my mom by her first name? What gave you the right to do that?" asks Ed, somewhat angrily.

"Your mom said that I could. She thought Ms. Elric was too formal, considering all that we've been through together," says Roy.

"'Been through together'? You two haven't been through anything together!" snaps Ed.

"On the contrary, Fullmetal. You've put us both through quite a bit. What with you losing your arm to a serial killer and my keeping you and Trisha up to date with the investigation. You're a lot of trouble, Edward, and she doesn't always know what to do with you," says Roy.

"'Do with me'?" asks Ed, as guilt washes over him. "She doesn't have to do anything with me! All I'm trying to do is be a good son and help out in any way that I can!"

"And she just wants you to be a kid! She wants you to go hang out with your friends and flirt with girls your age and be a normal teenaged boy! She doesn't like watching her son go out an get a job or throw his life away just so that she can have an easier life!" argues Roy. Ed looked stricken by Roy's words.

"I just want to see her smile," murmurs Ed, looking down at the mismatched hands in his lap.

"She seems to be her happiest talking about the adventures that you and Al have here in Resembool. Seeing you enjoying your lives makes her happy. What you're doing is only causing her guilt," says Roy.

"But if I don't work, we won't have money for food or anything," says Ed. "Hoenheim barely sends us enough as it is." Roy sighs heavily and shakes his head.

"Let her worry about that. She's the adult, it's her job," says Roy.

"She shouldn't have to do everything," says Ed. Roy knew he wasn't going to get anywhere with Ed. It would be better for Trisha to be trying to have this conversation with Ed, it really wasn't even his place.

"Okay, I get it, you're not going to listen to me, so why don't you go get me a blanket and pillow. Tomorrow we'll go to Central," says Roy, dismissively. Ed gets up and goes to the closet to get a pillow and blanket for Roy.

**xXxXxXxXxXxXx**

The next day, Ed had to make arrangements with Jeremy before he could go to Central with Roy. Jeremy had been understanding of the situation and had given Ed permission to take as long as he had to in Central, and assured him that he would still have a job when he got back.

On the train, Ed sat across from Roy and Riza. He was looking out the window when Riza cleared her throat. "I'm going to go get some food, would either of you like anything?" asks Riza.

"I'll leave the choice to you," says Roy.

"I don't want anything," says Ed, not looking at Riza as he spoke. He was deep in thoughts of what had happened the last time that he was in Central. Unconsciously, Ed's left hand goes up to grip his right shoulder. His stumps were kind of bothering him, and a glance at the sky confirmed that the weather was definitely changing for the worse. It wouldn't be long before the pain became almost unbearable.

"Just bring him a sandwich or something that will keep until he decides to eat," says Roy.

"Yes sir," says Riza, before walking away.

"Is your arm bothering you?" asks Roy, noticing how Ed kept gripping his auto mail port.

"It's nothing," says Ed, refusing to look at Roy. "Just the weather." Roy looks out the window. They were heading into a storm. Roy had heard other people with auto mail, or old war veterans, complains about pain in their stumps, or old war wounds, when the weather got bad. No doubt Ed was in pain, he just didn't want to mention it.

"Would you like some pain medicine?" asks Roy. "I'm sure Riza could get you something."

"I said I was fine!" snaps Ed. "I don't want anything!" Ed glares out the window. Whne Riza comes back she lays a brown, paper bag in Ed's lap.

"You should eat, Edward. I brought you a sandwich, apple, and juice," says Riza. Ed looks down at the bag in his lap, and his stomach growls. With a sigh, Ed pulls the sandwich out of the bag and unwraps it, from the plastic wrap, before taking a bite of it.

"Thanks," mumbles Ed, around the bite of food. Roy and Riza were both eating similar lunches.

"Ed's shoulder is bothering him, do you think you could find him some pain medicine?" asks Roy. Riza nods, and lays her food down on the seat before getting up and leaving again before Ed could protest.

"Hey! You didn't have to do that! If I needed painkillers I would have asked!" snaps Ed.

"I doubt it, Fullmetal. You're simply too stubborn," says Roy, before taking a bite of his sandwich. When Riza comes back, she holds her hand out to Ed, who opens his own hand. Riza drops two pills into his hand before sitting down and picking up her lunch. With a sigh, Ed takes the pills and goes back to eating.

That evening they arrive in Central. "You'll be staying at my house, Fullmetal. Tomorrow you can see Barry and determine whether or not we got the right man," says Roy, as they grab their luggage.

"What? You didn't tell me that I was supposed to be staying with you!" says Ed, in surprise.

"Well I just did," says Roy, as he walks over to a car that was waiting. Ed follows him, with Riza not far behind.

"Why can't I stay somewhere else?" asks Ed, as he gets in.

"Like where?" asks Roy. "The Hughes family is on vacation, and your mother didn't like the idea of you staying in a hotel, so my house is the only option." Ed sighs heavily, but nods his head in agreement. Roy was right, and although Ed didn't like it, he couldn't really do anything about it either. It wasn't like he was going to be stuck there for the rest of his life, anyway.

When they got to Roy's house, Mustang leads Ed up the porch steps and into the house. Ed looks down the hallway, as he removes his jacket and boots. "Do you mind sleeping on the couch?" asks Mustang, apologetically. "I don't have a spare bedroom."

"It's fine," says Ed, before walking into the living room and sitting his suitcase on the floor behind the couch. He looks around the living room. It was definitely the home of a bachelor. There was a couch and a recliner, as well as a coffee table in the middle of the room. On the table sat a newspaper and a couple of books, upon closer inspection the books were nothing more than fiction novels. There was also an end table with a lamp sitting on it. On the far wall was a fireplace with some pictures sitting on the mantle. Curious, Ed walks over and looks at the pictures.

The first picture was of Roy and Hughes standing outside of HQ wearing their uniforms. It was an old picture, in which the two of them were probably barely out of their teens. The next picture was of Elysia, Ed had no doubt that it was provided by Hughes. And the last picture was of Roy with his subordinates outside of HQ. This picture was much more recent.

"I thought that I would pick something up from the deli, for dinner. Is there anything in particular that you want?" asks Roy.

"No, I'll leave it up to you," says Ed. Roy nods his head in acknowledgment.

"Okay, then I'm going to go there now. You can stay here or go with me, the choice is yours," says Roy.

"I'll just stay here," says Ed, walking back over to the table and picking up one of the books and reading the back of it.

"Okay, feel free to look around," says Roy, before walking back into the hallway.

The night was uneventful, and the next day Roy took Ed to the prison to see Barry. When they got there, Roy stopped at the reception desk and spoke to the woman there, before leading Ed to a room in the back. In front of Ed was a large window and on the other side of the window was a stage. Ed and Roy watch as a military officer walks in followed by eight men, all of roughly the same description. They were all around the same height, with the same build, but that was where the similarities ended.

"This line-up is just a precaution. The military wants to give you a chance to compare Barry to the other men. I'm not going to tell you which one is Barry, you have to tell me if any of these men were the one who attacked you," says Roy.

Ed looks at each face carefully. The faces were all looking straight ahead, expressionless, and Ed wondered if they could see him. "None of the men can see you, Fullmetal. They won't know that it was you who pointed out your attacker," says Roy, as if he could read Ed's mind. Ed nods and looks at the men once more.

As he's looking at each face, he sees one that looked familiar. It was him! The one who attacked him! Ed points at the man. "Number five," says Ed. Roy looks down at the folder in front of him.

"Are you absolutely sure, Fullmetal?" asks Roy, in such a way that Ed wondered if he had answered wrong some how, but he remembered who had hurt him, and it was definitely that man.

"Yes," says Ed, his voice strong with his certainty. "Why, is something wrong?"

"That's not Barry," says Roy.

End Chapter

**A/N: Thanks for reading! Okay, so someone mentioned that it might be Barry, but when I had written the chapter where Ed had been attacked I hadn't pictured Barry as the attacker, not to mention that Ed's attacker was too OOC to be Barry, but I figured I'd string you guys along for a whole chapter and let you think it was Barry, just for shock value. Okay, so next chapter we get to find out just who this man is and why he did it! YAY!...I have way too many things going on at once in this fanfiction...Also, quick question...(this is rhetorical) why is it that the chapters that I'm the least satisfied with do the best? Oh, and thank you so much for all of the reviews in the last chapter! I really liked them all! Please keep them up! As always, comments, questions, suggestions? Review! Let me know! I'm always glad to answer questions! Sayonara! =]**


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter Nineteen**

_"That's not Barry," says Roy_.

Ed's heart felt like it dropped into his stomach upon hearing those words. After Roy had seemed so certain that he had caught Ed's attacker, it had turned out that he was wrong. What if Ed had come here and none of those men had been his attacker? Maybe, for once, luck was on his side.

After he had successfully confirmed the identity of his attacker, Ed was lead out of the room and told to sit in the lobby. Now Ed was sitting, in a chair, in the lobby, while the secretary at the desk kept glancing at him every once in a while. She looked like she wanted to speak with him, but every time she opened her mouth, someone would approach the desk to speak to her about something. Ed was glad for the constant distractions. He didn't really want to speak to her.

Ed looks down at his auto mail hand, and the memory of that day hits him again. All of the fear and pain formed a knot in his chest and it became hard to breathe, or to even swallow. The thought that the man could have done so much more to Ed was frightening too. A dull ache forms in Ed's shoulder and he grabs the port, knowing it wouldn't make the pain go away, but it was a reflex reaction.

"Are you okay?" asks the receptionist. She was finally free to speak to Ed, and he sighs heavily before nodding his head.

"I'm fine," he says, quickly, hoping that she would leave it at that. She didn't seem to be buying it though.

"Are you sure? I saw you come in with Colonel Mustang, should I get him for you?"

"No, I don't need him right now," says Ed.

"Well, let me know if you need anything." Ed nods, and goes back to his thoughts. He must have dozed off though, because the next thing he knew, he was waking up to someone shaking his shoulder. Ed looks up and sees Roy standing over him.

"Are you ready to go? We have to go to HQ, I have paperwork to do," says Roy. Ed stands up, and they go out to the car they had taken to the prison. Once in the car Roy begins to speak.

"That man, you pointed out, had been arrested for attacking a man and trying to steal his money. Turns out he had been caught not far from where you had been attacked. His name is David Strouse. When asked about the attack on you, he confessed," says Roy.

"When can I see him?" asks Ed.

"You honestly think your mother is going to let me let you go into that prison and see the man who attacked you? You were only supposed to confirm who your attacker was," says Roy. "And you have, so now you're going to stay at my house for a few more days, until the next train leaves for Resembool." Ed groans and lays his head against the car window.

"That sounds boring," says Ed.

"I'm sorry, but there isn't much that I can do about it, Fullmetal. You knew, when we boarded the train, that you would be in Central for a few days," says Roy.

"I also thought I would be staying with the Hughes family or in a hotel or something; not at your house," says Ed.

"I'm sorry. If it helps, when we get to headquarters, I'll ask Hawkeye to get you some books about Alchemy, you can read while I do paperwork," says Roy.

"Why can't I just walk around Central, or go back to your house?" asks Ed.

"The last time you wandered around Central on your own, you lost your arm. I'd rather not explain to your mom how you lost a third limb because I let you wander around on your own," says Roy. Ed sighs, this was going to be boring.

When they got to HQ, Ed followed Roy to his office and sat on the couch while Mustang took a seat at his desk and started on his paperwork. When Hawkeye walked in, Roy told her to go to the public library and get some books on alchemy, for Ed. "Can I go with her?" asked Ed. Roy seemed to think about it before nodding.

"Sure. Hawkeye, you can be Fullmetal's escort during his stay in Central," says Roy.

"Yes sir," says Hawkeye, with a sigh. She didn't seem to like the idea of 'escorting' Edward.

"I don't need a babysitter," argues Ed.

"Dismissed," says Roy, waving his hand dismissively, without looking up from his work. Ed sighs heavily and follows Hawkeye out of the office. When they got outside, Ed decides to try talking Hawkeye out of escorting him.

"You know, you could always take the day off and just tell Mustang that you watched me," says Ed. "We could set up a time and place to meet. He would never know."

"I can't so that, Edward. I have orders to escort you around Central, and I will," says Riza, almost apologetically.

"Will you escort me to the prison then?" asks Ed.

"Why?" asks Hawkeye.

"I want to visit somebody," says Ed. Hawkeye keeps her expression neutral as she looks at Edward.

"Who?" she asks. The last she had known, Edward didn't know anybody in the prison that he would want to visit.

"David Strouse," says Ed, hoping that Hawkeye didn't know who he was. Of course, Hawkeye was in the military and seemed to know everything, and this was no exception.

"David Strouse? Wasn't he arrested for assault and robbery?" asks Hawkeye.

"I don't know," lies Ed. "He's...my cousin."

"You're cousin?" asks Hawkeye, doubtfully. "I didn't realize that you had cousins."

"Oh yeah, lots. My mom has a sister, and she has a bunch of kids. David is the oldest," says Ed, trying to make his lie sound as believable as possible, by adding a lot of details.

"Edward, your mother told me that she was an only child. Your father too; so, I'm fairly certain that David Strouse is not your cousin," says Hawkeye, flatly. Ed groans at being caught in his lie. Hawkeye knew everything.

"Fine, he's not my cousin, but I still have to speak with him," says Ed.

"Why is it so important for you to speak with this man?" asks Hawkeye. Ed's left hand goes to his right shoulder.

"He's the man who cut off my arm. I just want to talk to him," says Ed, looking into Riza's eyes. She could see the fires of determination burning strong in Ed's eyes. Riza sighs heavily.

"I'm not sure that that would be a good idea," says Riza.

"Please, I just...," Ed hesitates before finishing his sentence, "I _need_ to do this, for me. I know that it's selfish of me, but I also know that I need to speak with that man, to get some form of closure."

"Fine, I'll take you there, but I'm going to stay with you the entire time. You're not leaving my sight," warns Riza, before leading Edward to the prison.

When they get there, Riza speaks with the woman at the reception desk before leading Ed back to a small room, which held a small table with two chairs sitting across from each other. The room itself was gray and boring, and the only window had bars over it.

"Take a seat, Edward. Someone will bring Strouse in soon," says Riza. Ed follows Riza's directions, and Riza stands over by the door, far enough away that Ed wouldn't feel like she was standing over him, but not so far away that she couldn't help him if things got out of hand. With that thought in mind, Riza pulls her gun out of her pocket and cocks it, before lowering the gun so that it was discreet.

After a few minutes – which felt like hours to Ed – the door opens and Strouse walks in, his hands cuffed in front of him, and an officer was leading him, by the arm, to the chair across from Edward. Once Strouse was sat down and strapped to the chair, the officer takes a few steps back.

Ed looks at Strouse, he hadn't changed at all in the last year and a half, and when he looked at Ed, he had a smug look on his face. "Couldn't get enough of me the first time, kid? Hoping I'd cut off that other arm of yours? Or perhaps I should take your other leg. Which would be more painful?" asks Strouse, arrogantly. Ed glares at the man, as he removes his jacket to expose the rest of his arm. He had worn a sleeveless, black shirt, so that all of his arm would show.

Strouse whistles appreciatively as he eyes the auto mail arm. "That's quite the arm you got there."

"I just want to know why you did it. And don't tell me it was because I was in your alley. I want the real reason," growls Ed, angrily. Strouse sits back in the chair with a cocky grin on his face.

"Wasn't that obvious? I liked watching you suffer in that alley. Watching you try to get away from me while I cut your arm off; your, barely contained, screams of agony, all that blood running through my fingers; why, there's nothing better than that. Of course, I have _some_ morals. If you hadn't been a kid, I would have done more than just cut your arm off," says Strouse.

"You sick, Bastard! You're telling me that just because I'm a kid you didn't rape me? What kind of screwed up morals do you have?" demands Ed, furiously. "It's okay to cut off my arm and leave me, bleeding to death, in an alley, but rape is a whole different story."

"Exactly. Why? Did you want me to fuck you?" asks Strouse. Ed growls as he glares at Strouse.

"Of course not, you bastard," snarls Ed.

"Then what's the problem here? You asked your question, I gave you my answer, so this conversation should be about over, don't you think?" asks Strouse. Ed couldn't believe what he was hearing. Not only did this man not feel any amount of guilt for what he had done, but he seemed proud of himself. He had even gone so far as to say that the only reason he hadn't raped Edward was because of his age.

Anger boils through Edward until he couldn't take it any longer, and suddenly he was up on his feet and his right fist was connecting with Strouse's nose with a satisfying crunch. Before Edward could do more, though, he was being grabbed around his torso and pulled back away from the table. Edward begins to struggle, until he realizes that Riza was the one who had pulled him back.

"Enough, Edward," says Riza. Strouse was wiping at the blood that was steadily flowing from his nose, which was now at an odd angle, thanks to Ed breaking it. Ed watches as Strouse suddenly stops wiping at his nose and stares at the blood on his hands with morbid fascination. The officer hands Strouse and handkerchief. "I need to get you back to Colonel Mustang, no doubt, he'll be upset when he finds out that you punch a criminal today."

"I should press charges on you, you little punk," growls Strouse. Ed ignores him as he follows Riza out of the room.

"Thank you," says Edward, quietly, as they walk down the hall, towards the exit.

"Did it help you at all?" asks Riza.

"Yeah," says Ed, simply.

End Chapter

**A/N: Thank you for reading...I hope you guys liked it! So, now that this particular plot...thing...is pretty much done, I can go back too Hoenheim! YAY! So, expect another time jump sometime in the near future...there's a certain event I want to happen, but I also want Ed to be a certain age when it happens...the reason for this being that I kind of want to follow Brotherhood a little bit...I don't know why I feel that this is important though...and I think I have an ending planned out...but I'm not sure...I have to see where this story goes...I'm almost to my goal of 75 reviews, so please review! Come on guys, we can do this! Remember, number 75 gets a short story like _The Hero of Kanama_! So, review! Sayonara! =]**


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: This chapter is dedicated to Zanzibar1 for giving me my 75th review and ultimately helping me reach my goal! Thanks so much! I never thought I'd end up with this many reviews! Onto the story!**

**Chapter Twenty**

When Riza and Ed got back to Roy's office, Roy was working on his paperwork. Ed goes to the couch and sits down with the stack of books, he had picked up at the public library, on the way to HQ. Riza walks over to the desk and stands at attention.

"Edward and I are back, sir," says Riza.

"Just in time, lieutenant. I need you to go to the cafeteria and get me a coffee, as well as a soda for Edward," says Roy, giving Riza a look that said 'I just want you to leave so that I can speak with Edward.'.

"Yes, sir," says Riza, before walking out.

"So, Fullmetal, how did you like the prison?" asks Roy, causing Ed to look up from his book with a nervous expression.

"H-how did you know about that?" asks Ed.

"I have my ways," says Roy. "Did you enjoy punching David Strouse?"

"Hell yeah, I did. My only regret is that I only got to punch him once before Hawkeye grabbed me," says Ed, proudly. Roy sighs heavily before getting up and walking over to where Ed was sitting.

"Don't you know how reckless you were? That was dangerous," says Roy, with a mix of worry and anger in his voice.

"It wasn't _that_ dangerous. Besides, I had Hawkeye with me," says Ed. Roy grabs Ed's shoulders and looks into his eyes. Edward's golden eyes were burning with an intensity, that rivaled the sun, that they seemed to imitate; but like the sun was sometimes eclipsed by the moon, Edward's eyes held shadows of fear and pain.

"Edward, you can't lie to me, I can see it in your eyes that that little stunt of you scared you more than you're willing to admit," says Roy. Ed gulps and his eyes darken for a moment, but then Ed adverts his gaze.

"Who are you to tell me what I can and can't do anyway? It's not like your my father," says Ed, trying to sound angry, but being unable to put enough force behind his words.

"No, you're right, I'm not your father, but you are here under my supervision, so, that means that I get to decide where you can and cannot go. Your mother has trusted me with your safety," says Roy. "I couldn't bear to look your mother in the eyes, again, if I sent you back hurt."

"All I wanted to do was talk to him, to ask him why he did that to me," says Ed, still not meeting Roy's gaze. "It was selfish of me, I know that, but I had to ask."

"Why? Why was it so important for you to do that?" asks Roy.

"Has someone ever done something to you or a loved one that made you wonder 'why'?" asks Ed.

"Of course," says Roy. He doubted that there was anyone who didn't wonder why people did some of the things that they did.

"Okay, have you ever had a 'why' that haunted you? One, where, that was all that you could think about," says Ed, looking into Roy's eyes, his eyes pleading with Roy to understand. Roy nods. He had a few of those. "Well, this was one of mine, and I had the opportunity to find out."

"Was it worth it?" asks Roy. Ed sighs heavily.

"He said he liked watching me suffer," says Edward, his voice low and menacing. "He said that there was nothing better than listening to my screams, watching me try to escape, and the feel of my blood on his hands. And after all of that, that _bastard_ goes on to tell me that, had I not been a kid, he would have raped me." Roy watches as Ed's eyes fill with tears, and was at a loss for words. What was he supposed to say or do at a time like this? There were no words to describe his fury. Edward had gotten his answer, but did it really help him? From where Roy was standing, it didn't look like it.

Ed reaches up and wipes his tears away, before forcing his expression to one of determination. "I'm fine," says Edward. "And I think it was worth it. I may not have liked the answer, but I still got one."

"Well, the military will make sure that you never see that man again," says Roy, just as the door opens and Riza walks in carrying two mugs of coffee and a bottle of soda.

"I'm back, sir," says Riza. Roy lets go of Ed's shoulders and walks over to Riza to accept his coffee.

"Thank you," says Roy, before going to his desk to get back to his paperwork. Riza walks over to Ed and hands him the bottle of soda.

"Thanks," says Ed, before opening the bottle and taking a drink.

That evening, Roy and Ed went back to Roy's house, after picking up some dinner from a cafe that was on the way. When they walked inside, the phone was ringing, so Roy went to answer it while Ed removed his jacket and boots.

"Fullmetal, the phone is for you!" calls Roy, from the other room. Ed walks into the living room and takes the phone from Roy's outstretched hand.

"Hello?" says Ed, as Roy leaves the living room to take off his jacket and boots at the door.

"Hello, Edward. I've been trying to call you all day," says Trisha, sounding relieved to be speaking to him.

"I'm sorry. I was with Roy at HQ and we just got home," says Edward, apologetically.

"Oh, I understand. How has your day been?" asks Trisha, conversationally.

"It's been okay. Hawkeye took me to the library, and I got some books," says Ed.

"That's good, but what about that man? Was he the one?" asks Trisha, hopefully.

"Well, no, it wasn't," says Ed, hearing Trisha's sad sigh on the other line. "But, they still managed to find the right man."

"What do you mean?" asks Trisha, her voice hopeful.

"Well, the military didn't want me to just say that they had the right man, so they lined up a bunch of men and told me to pick my attacker from the group. When I pointed to him, I was informed that he wasn't their suspect," says Ed.

"Are you sure that you had the right man though?" asks Trisha.

"There was no denying it. He was definitely my attacker. He had even confirmed it," says Ed, grabbing the cord on the phone and wrapping it around his fingers.

"How do you know that he confirmed it?" asks Trisha, suspiciously. If she knew her son – and she liked to think she did – she knew that he probably did something that he wasn't telling her about.

Ed knew that he couldn't lie to his mother; she would know. "I spoke to him. He told me to my face," says Ed. In the back of his mind, Ed had noticed Roy begin walking through the living room to get to the kitchen, but then stop, but Roy had already heard about this, so he didn't see the harm in Roy hearing it again.

"I was told that you wouldn't be speaking with him," says Trisha, sounding upset.

"I know, but I had to speak with him, mom. So, I told Hawkeye to let me go, and she let me, because she didn't know that she wasn't allowed to," says Ed, although he was sure that she probably knew that Roy wouldn't have liked it, and yet she had gone along with it anyway.

"Let me speak to Roy," says Trisha, and Ed wondered if Mustang was in trouble or not. Judging by her tone, Trisha definitely wasn't pleased.

"'Kay. Hey, Roy, quit eavesdropping and take the phone; my mom wants to talk to you," says Ed. Roy visibly tenses, before walking over to Ed, glaring at him the entire time, before snatching the phone from his hand.

"Hello?" says Roy, trying to sound nonchalant, but coming off as slightly nervous. Ed thought that Roy had every right to be nervous – if Trisha was truly mad about what had happened, and she was possibly blaming Roy, then he was never going to hear the end of it. Ed couldn't hear what was being said by his mom, but judging by the tone of her voice, she was definitely unhappy, and Roy was getting an earful.

"I know, Trisha. Please believe me that it was not my intention to allow your son to go back to that prison. Like he said, he tricked Riza," says Roy. After another pause, Roy sighs and turns so that he can glare at Ed again. Ed glares back as Roy speaks again. "I'm sorry, Trisha, but I assure you that Mr. Strouse is in more pain than Edward, at this point." There was another pause, and Roy chuckles before responding. "From what I hear, Fullmetal decided to pass judgment with an iron fist. Literally."

"Damn right I did," says Ed, arrogantly. "He's just lucky I only got his nose, next time he'll think twice before messing with me."

"Are you anticipating a next time, Fullmetal?" asks Roy.

"Well, no, but I'm just saying, if it ever happened again..." Ed trails off, slightly chagrined about Roy's words. "You know what? _SHUT-UP!_" Roy chuckles as Ed stomps over to the coffee table and grabs their food, before stomping into the kitchen.

"Don't eat it all!" calls Roy, before turning his attention back to the phone. Ed ignores Roy, as he goes through the cupboards until he comes across two plates and two glasses. After setting two places, he starts looking through the drawers for silverware and serving spoons.

By the time Roy came in, Edward had both of them served and was eating his half of the food. "Your mom told me to let you know that she loves you, and she can't wit for you to get back home," says Roy, as he takes his seat and begins eating. Ed was still stuck in Central for a couple more days, and he was beginning to feel homesick.

"Will the Hughes family be back while I'm still here?" asks Ed. He had hoped to see them while he was in Central.

"Actually, to be honest, I think their train comes in after yours leaves," says Roy.

"Oh," says Ed, looking down at his food, sadly. The thought occurred to him that he could always catch a different train, but if he missed this one, he'd have to wait a whole week. He wasn't sure if it was worth it or not.

"I'm sure that Hughes will be disappointed that he missed your visit though," says Roy. Ed smirks.

"It's too bad. I'm sure that if he were here he'd be showing me a million pictures of Elysia," says Ed.

"She's gotten big since you've last seen her. She walks now, and that's all Hughes talks about," says Roy.

"I bet. He probably tells you exactly how many steps she takes in a day," says Ed.

"He used to, but she's gotten so good at walking that he can't keep track anymore, so he exaggerates and says she took a million steps," chortles Roy. Ed laughs before they settle down to eat their meal in a comfortable silence. After dinner, Ed takes a shower and lays on the couch with a book, while Roy sits in the chair.

"Well, I'm going to bed. We have to get up early to go to HQ, so don't stay up too late," says Roy, as he walks towards the stairs.

"I won't" says Ed, noncommittally. "Night."

"Good night," says Roy. When he gets to his room he sets his alarm clock before getting under the covers and turning off the light. He falls asleep relatively quickly, only to be awoken in the middle of the night by a bloodcurdling scream.

End Chapter

**A/N: YAY, it's done! Okay, so I'm sorry I took longer than usual, but I had writers block...and I had decided to restart this chapter because I didn't like it. (I still don't like it, but I can't think of anything better) Okay, so I reached my goal of 75 reviews, which means that I'm going to up my goal again...I know, I should probably stop doing that, but it's fun. This time, my goal is 125 reviews...whoever gives me review 125 will get a chapter dedication, and a story...and I'm going to be working on Zanzibar1's story soon, I just have to look some stuff up...okay, so here's to hoping I can figure something out for the next chapter. Thanks for reading, and please review! Sayonara! =]**


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter Twenty-One**

_ He falls asleep relatively quickly, only to be awoken in the middle of the night by a bloodcurdling scream. _

Roy immediately bolts from his bed, before slipping on his slippers and robe as he makes his way down the stairs. When he reaches the bottom of the steps, Ed was just rushing out of the living room and over to the door, where he slips on his boots and jacket.

"What do you think your doing?" asks Roy, wearily.

"What's it look like I'm doing? I'm guessing you're not awake just to pee," says Ed, as he walks over to the door and peeks out the peephole.

"See anything?" asks Roy.

"No, but that doesn't mean they aren't out there," says Ed, before carefully opening the door and sticking his head out and looking both ways, before quickly pulling his bead back in and closing the door. "I can see them. There are four men, big men, and they're surrounding a woman."

"Okay, you stay here. I'll handle this," says Roy, reaching into the pocket of his jacket that was hanging on the hook and pulling out his gloves. Ed watches Roy walk out of the house and then waits about thirty seconds before following after him.

By the time he reached Roy, Roy was trying to talk the four men – who looked much bigger close up – into leaving the "poor girl" alone. "And what are you going to do about it, tough guy?" sneers one of the men. Roy snaps his fingers, and a burst of flames ignites above the men's heads. The men gasp and back up a step.

"Do you really want to test me?" challenges Roy. Ed walks over to the girl, who had backed a few feet away when Roy had distracted the men with his flames, and grabs her wrist. The girl squeaks in surprise and Ed quickly covers her mouth.

"I'm not going to hurt you," whispers Ed. "You should get out of here, now, while you can. Mustang and I will keep them distracted." Ed pulls his hand away from the girl's mouth and releases her wrist.

"Thank you," she mouths, before turning and walking away. Unfortunately, one of the men had turned just in time to witness her escape. Angry, the man grabs Ed by the collar of his shirt and pulls him up so that they were eye to eye with each other.

"You little runt! Why'd you do that, huh?" he demands. Ed punches the man with his right fist, causing the man to drop him on the ground. That seemed to catch the attention of the other men, who begin to surround Ed. Roy looks on in horror as Ed looks at the four men surrounding him and grins impishly.

"Call me a runt will you? I'll show you who the runt is," sneers Ed, before standing up and lashing out at one of the men with his left foot. The man dodges and another man comes up behind Ed and tries to grab him, but Ed had dodged just in time.

Deciding that he probably shouldn't just stand there, Roy joins in, trying to protect Ed, who seemed to forget about Roy's presence as he fought the four men. While it occurred to Roy that he could use his flames, Ed was moving around so much that he worried that he would hurt the boy. Just as Roy was about to yell at Ed to stop moving, there's a flash of red and the four men were suddenly pinned to the ground by the pavement.

Roy looks around for the alchemist responsible for saving them, and sees a man walking towards them. "Are the two of you okay?"asks the man, as he approaches them.

"I am," says Roy, before turning to Ed.

"We're both fine," says Ed, obviously upset at the stranger for stepping in. No doubt, Ed thought they had it under control.

"Good to hear. The young lady you saved happened to pass me and told me that there was trouble and asked me to help," he explains as he steps into the light of a streetlamp. The man had blond hair pulled back into a ponytail, and wire rimmed glasses. His eyes were hidden behind the glare caused by the streetlamp. He was a tall man of average build.

"We appreciate it, sir," says Roy. "How about, to make up for it, you come back with us and have coffee."

"That would be great," says the man, as Ed and Roy begin walking back towards the house.

"I told you to stay inside, Fullmetal. What happened to that?" asks Roy, as they walk.

"And miss out on that? No way," says Ed. "Besides, I had those guys."

"Sure you did," says Roy, sarcastically, as he opens the door and allows Ed and the man to enter first before following them. Ed takes his boots and jacket back off, and the man follows suit. "I'm going to call someone to go pick up those men. Show our guest to the kitchen and turn on the kettle."

"Alright," grumbles Ed, before leading the man to the kitchen. "Take a seat." Ed points at the table as he speaks, and then walks over to the stove to get the kettle. He fills it with water before sitting it on the stove and turning on the burner.

Roy came in a few minutes later and began pulling coffee mugs out of the cupboard. "You do know it's the middle of the night, right?" asks Ed.

"I'm aware of that, Fullmetal, but I promised coffee to our guest, so he's going to get coffee," says Roy.

"Don't go to the extra trouble on my account," says the man.

"Well, after all of the excitement, I probably won't be getting any sleep anyway," says Roy.

"Well, I will," says Ed, absentmindedly rubbing his right shoulder.

"Hold on, just a minute Ed," says Roy. Ed stops and looks at Roy expectantly. Roy turns his attention to their guest. "It isn't much, but if you need a place to stay, you could sleep on the couch."

"What?" screeches Ed. "Ten minutes ago I was sleeping there!"

"I wouldn't want to take his spot. If you had some blankets and pillows, I could just sleep on the floor," says the man.

"Are you sure?" asks Roy.

"Yes, I am," he says, with a hint of finality to his tone. "If I may ask, what are your names?"

"Oh, well I'm Colonel Roy Mustang."

"And I'm Edward Elric." The man's eyes widen at ed's introduction.

"Of course you are. I can't believe I didn't see it sooner," says the man, looking at Ed like he was seeing him for the first time.

"What do you mean?" asks Ed, warily.

"It's been so long, I'm not surprised you don't realize who I am. My name is Hoenheim, and I'm your father." Ed's eyes widen and he takes an involuntary step back. The man that had saved him and Roy from those men, was the father who had walked out on them all of those years ago.

"You're Hoenheim?" asks Roy, in surprise, and Ed could tell what was going through Roy's mind at that moment. The man the military wanted for the murder of that man in Lior, was sitting in his kitchen.

"Well, you have your man, Mustang," says Ed, before walking out of the room.

"Where are you going?" asks Roy.

"Back to bed!" shouts Ed, and Roy could hear the hurt and anger, barely contained, in Ed's voice. Roy sighs heavily and turns to the stove to get the kettle.

"I'm not sure what to say about him," says Roy, as he pours hot water into the mugs and grabs down the instant coffee from the cupboards.

"I'm sure he's probably angry with me for leaving," says Hoenheim, thoughtfully. "After-all I did just walk out without any explanation of why or for how long."

"Why did you?" asks Roy, quietly, as he stirs the two mugs of coffee. Hoenheim sighs heavily and shakes his head.

"It would sound stupid, but I had some unfinished business to take care of," says Hoenheim.

"And now?" asks Roy, as he sets a mug in front of Hoenheim.

"I'm almost done," says Hoenheim, watching Roy as he pulls a carton of milk from the fridge and the sugar bowl from the counter and sets them on the table between them.

"What could be so important, that you'd be willing to leave for almost ten years?" asks Roy, knowing that it was none of his business, but he knew that Ed was listening and wanted to get Ed his answers, it was the least he could do after everything Ed had been through. Hoenheim seemed to realize that Roy wasn't asking to be nosy, but that he had a reason for asking.

"A man who lives here in Central, I believe. I need to speak with him," says Hoenheim. "He took something very precious from me, and while I realize that he can't exactly give it back, he can at least repent."

"What did he take?" asks Roy.

"My life," says Hoenheim, with a tone of finality. Hoenheim pushes his untouched coffee away and stands up. "Would you mind getting me those blankets and pillows? I'm very tired." Roy stands up.

"Of course. You can sleep on the floor in the living room. With any luck, Ed won't try sneaking out if you're in the room," says Roy, walking into the living room, where Ed was laying on the couch, seemingly asleep, but Roy could tell that he was too tense, and his breathing wasn't shallow enough for him to be asleep.

Roy walks past the couch and over to the hall closet where he pulls out a pillow and a couple of blankets before coming back to find Hoenheim watching Ed. Roy walks over to him and hands him the pillow and blankets. "He's a good kid, but he's been through a lot," says Roy. "He never gives up though."

"It sounds like you've gotten to know my son very well," says Hoenheim.

"Well, I haven't had a lot of choice. We met back in Lior when he had become a suspect in the murder of their priest, Cornello. After that, we had him come back to Central for a few days, just until we could verify that he really wasn't our killer. Of course, I thought it was ridiculous, but I have to follow protocol," says Roy, and then his expression saddens. "But, while he was here, he was attacked, and nearly killed, and I promised to find the man. Because of this, I've gotten to know your whole family. Actually, Ed came here to verify that we had caught his attacker. We had, but it wasn't the man we thought it was."

"I see," says Hoenheim, thoughtfully. "My son was hurt. I can't help but feel that this is my fault somehow."

"It wasn't your fault. It was just a case of Ed being in the wrong place at the wrong time," says Roy. Hoenheim nods his head in understanding before looking down at the stuff in his hands.

"I'm going to go to bed. I hope you don't mind," says Hoenheim.

"Of course not. Good night," says Roy, as he begins walking towards the stairs. "Oh, I should probably tell you that Ed's leaving tomorrow afternoon."

"Okay, thank you," says Hoenheim, as he makes his bed on the floor.

"Good night," says Roy.

"Good night," says Hoenheim. After Roy goes upstairs, Hoenheim looks back over at ed, who was asleep for real at this point. "Maybe I should just give up and go back to my family," he murmurs.

End Chapter

**A/N: Thanks for reading! Okay, so I was going to make Ed a bit older, before I brought Hoenheim back, but somehow, now seemed like a good time, but that also means that my story may be coming to an end soon, I'm not sure...also, how would you guys feel about me adding a new family member to the Elric family? **

**Oh, and I have several ideas for another fanfiction! But since I'm only doing one at a time, I would like your input on which idea to do first...so the choices are as follows:**

**A) Ed and Winry are married, and Winry gets pregnant.**

**B) Ed and Al find a girl in an alley and decide to help her, only to find out that there's more to her than meets the eye.**

**C) A crossover of _Fullmetal Alchemist_ and _Morganville Vampires. _**

**Those are the three choices...and if you don't want to answer in the form of a review, i'll be making a poll and posting it on my profile. Also, I finished the one shot for Zanzibar1. It's called _Cadet Edward_, so if you're curious about Ed, Al, and Winry being in color guard check it out! **

**Thanks for reading, and please review! It would be greatly appreciated! Sayonara! =]**


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter Twenty-Two**

That afternoon, Ed boarded the train headed to Resembool. He put his suitcase in the luggage rack above his seat before sitting down and looking around at the other passengers in the train car. The car was almost full. Just then, Ed notices someone walk over and sit in the seat across from him.

"I hope you don't mind, but this seems to be the only other available seat," says the person who had sat down. Ed shrugs his shoulders, not really caring who sat across from him as long as they didn't expect him to try to hold a conversation or anything. After the night he'd had, he was planning on falling asleep. That was before he realized that he recognized that voice, and why he recognized it.

Ed's head snaps up and he immediately begins glaring at the man who had taken the seat across from him. "You bastard! What the hell are you doing here?" snaps Ed.

"I believe that I am on the train headed to Resembool? Am I wrong?" asks Hoenheim. If looks could kill, Hoenheim would be six feet under at that moment.

"Why are you going to Resembool?" grumbles Ed.

"To see my lovely wife and darling sons, of course," says Hoenheim.

"No way in hell, bastard! If you think that for one second I would let you, go back to Resembool to see them, just so that you could walk out on them _again_ you're dead wrong!" sneers Edward.

"Who said anything about leaving? I would be coming home permanently," says Hoenheim, in such a way that suggested that what he was saying was the most obvious thing in the world. Ed couldn't stand it! How dare that bastard speak down to him like that! Ed punches Hoenheim's left cheek with his right fist.

"YOU BASTARD!" screeches Ed, effectively attracting the attention of every person in the train car. "You think you can just show up in my life and talk down to me?"

"I wasn't speaking down to you, Edward. You shouldn't jump to such conclusions," says Hoenheim, rationally. "Please keep your voice down." Edward wanted to scream at Hoenheim again for trying to tell him what to do, but he had a point. Ed could tell that he had attracted a lot of unwanted attention with his previous outburst.

"Fine," grumbles Ed, crossing his arms over his chest and scowling out the window. Hoenheim watches Ed for a few seconds before speaking again.

"I really have missed you, and Alphonse, and Trisha," says Hoenheim, guiltily. "If I had thought that I had a choice, I would have stayed."

"There's always a choice. You just chose to take the easy way out," argues Ed.

"That wasn't it at all, Edward. I left because I had to. Not only for myself, but for my family. It was safer for you if I left for a while," says Hoenheim.

"Why?" demands Ed. "What was so dangerous that you had to leave your family behind?"

"I can't tell you right now, Edward. Just accept that I was doing the right thing when I left all those years ago. Trisha understood why I did it," says Hoenheim.

"But Al and I didn't! For all we knew, you left us because you didn't want us anymore. How were we supposed to know that you ran off to protect us?"

"I thought Trisha would have explained it," says Hoenheim.

"All mom ever said was, 'he'll be back soon.' and Al always agreed with her. I was the only one who knew the truth," says Ed.

"And what was that?" asks Hoenheim. He probably already knew what Ed was going to say, but he wanted to hear him say it out loud.

"That you weren't coming back. That you stopped caring about us," sneers Ed.

"That isn't the truth, Edward. Not once did I stop caring about you, and I had every intention of coming back, I just didn't know when I would be able to," says Hoenheim.

"Whatever," grumbles Ed, turning and looking out the window again. The next thing Ed knew, he was waking up and it was dark in the train car. He turns his head and finds Hoenheim asleep, with his head against the window.

Ed sighs heavily as thoughts of the night Hoenheim left, flood his memory. Now, here Hoenheim was, sitting right across from him, headed back to Resembool. It was what Ed had wanted to accomplish when he had set out over a year ago. He'd had every intention of going out, finding Hoenheim, and bringing him home, but now that it was happening, Ed wondered if he had been kidding himself. Did he ever really want to find Hoenheim?

If he were being honest with himself, the answer would have been 'no'. Hoenheim had been at the root of all of Ed's problems, and he couldn't see where allowing him back into his life would do him any good. Not to mention, there was always the chance that Hoenheim would come home and leave again. Ed didn't think his mom could handle watching Hoenheim leave a second time. As Ed was thinking this, Hoenheim begins to stir, so Ed quickly turns his head and looks back out the window.

"Oh, you're awake," says Hoenheim, groggily. Ed grunts something that sounded like 'yeah', but doesn't say any more. Hoenheim sighs heavily, before speaking. "So, Edward, how is Trisha?"

"Why do you care?" snaps Ed.

"Edward, please. I know I left, but I still love you boys and your mother," says Hoenheim. Ed grumbles something unintelligible before sighing heavily.

"Mom's..." Ed stops to think about his response. Should he tell the truth? That she was sad and missed Hoenheim? Or should he just say that she was fine. "To be honest, she's sad. She misses you, and she's been waiting for you. I think her health is suffering." It was true. Before Ed had left, he'd heard Trisha coughing, but when he asked her about it, she'd said it was nothing.

"She barely ever smiles. Not genuinely anyway," says Ed, sadly. "Al and I have tried everything we could think of to make her happy, but we're not you. We're not good enough."

"That isn't true, Edward. Your mother loves you both very much," says Hoenheim. "I know she couldn't be more proud of you boys." Ed looks away from Hoenheim and out the window.

"Yeah, Al, maybe; but I've always been a lot of trouble. She's always asking people what to do about me," says Ed, sadly. "And I can't blame her. I mean, what person loses two limbs on two separate occasions?"

"Two? I thought it was just your arm," says Hoenheim. Ed pulls up his pant keg enough to reveal that his left leg was also auto mail. "How did that happen?"

"I got hit by a train, when I was seven," says Ed, like it wasn't a big deal, but he still had nightmares about it every once in a while and the sound of a train whistle made him flinch at times. "After that, I spent a year getting the auto mail and going through the rehabilitation process. Mom and Al were supportive, and helped me a lot, but I know it was a burden for them."

"I doubt that you were thought of as a burden," says Hoenheim. Ed decides to ignore Hoenheim's comment and continues speaking.

"After that, I went to Central and got attacked, and lost my arm. I have nightmares about it, and I always end up waking up Al with my crying. He used to go wake up mom, but anymore he just lets me get through it on my own."

"None of these things you're saying are your fault Edward. If anything, they're mine for not being there. If I had been there, maybe none of these things would have happened," says Hoenheim sadly.

"Well, you weren't there, and they did happen! But it's not your fault either! I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time! It could have happened to anybody," snaps Ed.

"But it happened to you. You've been through so much in such a short amount of time," says Hoenheim.

"I'll be fine," grumbles Ed, just as the train pulls into the Resembool station. Ed stands up and stretches before grabbing his suitcase and walking off of the train. When he steps onto the platform, he looks around at the handful of people who were waiting for loved ones. It wasn't hard for him to spot Trisha and Al waiting, Trisha looking around as she held Al's hand. Al was also looking around, and seemed to notice Ed just as Ed noticed them, because he got an excited look on his face before tugging on Trisha's dress and pointing. Trisha looks over at Ed and smiles before waving, and Ed walks over to them, receiving hugs when he does so.

"I've missed you so much. How was Central?" asks Trisha.

"It was good," says Ed, deciding not to mention his little adventure on his last night. He didn't think that his mom would want to hear about him taking on four guys, in the middle of the night, to save a girl. Just then, Ed hears footsteps approach them, and notices Al's eyes widen, from out of the corner of his eye. Reluctantly, Ed takes a step back and watches as Hoenheim stops in front of Trisha.

"Hey there, Trisha," says Hoenheim, causing Trisha – who had been watching Edward – to gasp and turn to look at Hoenheim with wide eyes. Ed watches, as Trisha's eyes well up with tears and she covers her mouth with her hands, before throwing herself at Hoenheim, who catches her and hugs her tightly.

"You're home," sobs Trisha.

"Yeah, and I'm here to stay," says Hoenheim, his voice full of conviction.

"I'm so glad! Welcome home!"

End Chapter

**A/N: Thanks for reading! Okay, so I'm debating on whether or not to end the story here...so I'll leave it up to you! I can end it here, and let you guys use your imagination on what could happen now that Hoenheim is home...or I can keep going and show you what happens...or I can make this story lead into my next story, which is going to be Ed and Winry get married and have a baby...because that seemed to be the idea that people liked! Please review and let me know what you think!**

**Also, I'm sorry I took so long to update, but I have a good reason, I swear! Okay, one, I had work, which was killer...(actually I did manage to hurt myself twice in the same day, so it really was killer...but I'm fine, I swear!) **

**Also, my mom was in the hospital! (and I would not make up something like that! That would be horrible. She's okay though!) Now that she's out, I've had to help around the house while she recovers, which takes up most, if not all, of my writing time. **

**I also had writers block while writing this chapter...so sorry if it sucks...or seems short...that is all. **

**REVIEW! Sayonara! =]**


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter Twenty-Three**

It had been a week since Hoenheim's return home and things in the Elric home had returned to...almost normal. Ed still didn't like Hoenheim and made his point known on a daily basis, but on this day, Ed was back to work at the inn, serving breakfast to hungry travelers. Ed goes to the kitchen, where Emily was busy cooking a bunch of pancakes.

"Hey," says Emma, as Ed hands her his slip.

"Morning," says Ed, walking over to a cupboard and grabbing a glass before filling it with orange juice. Emily reads the slip and begins making plates.

"I heard that your dad came home," says Emma, cheerfully. "That's great! I'm happy for you!" At Ed's scowl, Emma's expression becomes one of confusion. Why wasn't Ed happy to have his father home?

"Yeah, great," scoffs Ed. "That bastard is home and we're one big happy family." Ed walks over and picks up his tray, before walking out into the dining hall. Emma watches Ed go and wonders what she had said that was so wrong. Were things really so bad between Ed and his dad?

Ed walks back to the table and serves everyone their food. While he was handing out their plates, Jeremy walks by. "Table Five," he says, simply. Ed sighs and finishes what he's doing before walking over to table five. Table five held Hoenheim, Trisha, Alphonse, and Winry. With a groan, Ed walks over with his pen and paper ready.

"Good morning. Welcome to the Fosters' Mill inn. This morning's special is the garden vegetable crepes with hash browns and either biscuits or toast," says Ed, trying to sound cheerful, but judging by the frown that Al had aimed his way, he wasn't succeeding.

"I want orange juice," says Winry, cheerfully.

"I'll have milk," says Al.

"Why do you always get milk?" demands Ed, as he scribbles down the word milk on the paper and begins drawing a face, that was puking, next to the word. Emma would love that. Ed smirks at the thought.

"Because I know that you don't like it," says Al, proudly. Ed rolls his eyes, as he turns his attention to Trisha.

"I'll have tea," she says, with a warm smile on her face. Ed nods and writes 'tea with honey' on the paper.

"I'll have coffee, black," says Hoenheim, and Ed glares at the page as he writes 'coffee, cream and sugar' on the paper, snickering as he writes.

"Okay, I'll go get your drinks and be back to take your orders soon," says Ed, as he turns and walks back to the kitchen. When he gets there, Emma was busy plating someone else tray.

"Hey, do you have another order?" asks Emma, as she sets the tray on the pick-up table. Ed nods and hands it to her.

"My family decided to show up," grumbles Ed, as Emma looks at the slip and giggles.

"So you really dislike milk that much?" chortles Emma.

"I don't understand why anyone would want to drink juice that's been secreted from a cow. That's just wrong," complains Ed, as Emma pours a glass of orange juice. Emma smiles, but doesn't comment as she pours the milk, before getting started on the tea.

"So, I thought you only had a brother. Why are there four drinks?" asks Emma.

"Oh, my friend Winry came along for some reason. She wanted the orange juice," says Ed.

Emma nods, as she pours the tea and coffee, before laying honey, cream, and sugar bowls on the tray. Ed had forgotten that they don't actually mix anything into the drinks, they leave it up to the customer. With a heavy sigh, Ed picks up the tray and takes it back out to his family.

When he gets there, everyone was looking at their menus and talking about what they were going to get. "Okay, so I brought your drinks," says Ed, passing out each cup to the person who ordered it. "Are you ready to order your food?"

"Pancakes!" says Al, cheerfully. Ed chuckles at his brother's enthusiasm and writes down 'pancakes'.

"Do you want bacon or sausage with them?" asks Ed. Al seemed to think about it for a moment before deciding.

"Sausage." Ed nods, as he writes. Then he turns his attention to Winry.

"I'll have french toast and bacon," she says. Ed writes that down and looks at Trisha.

"I'll have the ham and eggs with hash browns and toast," says Trisha. Ed writes down the order before reluctantly turning his attention to Hoenheim.

"I'll have the same thing that Trisha is having, but I want my eggs scrambled," says Hoenheim. Ed was tempted to write 'sunny side up', but knew that Trisha would get mad at him if he did, so he resisted and turned to go back to the kitchen. When he got there, Jeremy was showing Emma how to make crepes. Emma was being taught how to cook, so that she could take over for Jeremy some day.

"Back already, Ed? You sure got the busy section today, didn't you?" asks Emma, as Ed hands over the slip.

"Well, they already had it planned out, what they were getting, and all of my other tables seem to be holding up okay," says Ed, with a shrug. Emma smiles at Ed, before turning to the stove.

"That's good. I guess I just figured that since it was your family, that you would stay longer and talk to them," says Emma, as she begins cracking eggs into a bowl.

"Why? I'll see them at home when my shift ends," says Ed, confused. Emma shakes her head as she stirs the eggs. Ed just didn't get it sometimes. Ed decided that while he was waiting for Emma, he would go back out and check on his other tables, choosing to go to table five last. When he got there, he found that both Winry and Al needed refills, so Ed picks up their glasses.

"I'm just waiting for your food to get done, shouldn't be long," explains Ed.

"That's fine," says Trisha.

"Should I get you more tea?" asks Ed, eying Trisha's half-empty tea cup.

"No, but a glass of orange juice would be nice," says Trisha.

"Okay," says Ed, making a mental note to get Trisha a glass of orange juice, as he turns and looks at Hoenheim's coffee mug. It was almost empty. "Should I get you more coffee?"

"That would be great," says Hoenheim. Ed goes back to the kitchen and finds Emma plating up the food.

"Hey, could you add two glasses of orange juice, a glass of milk, and coffee to my tray?" asks Ed.

"I'll add the juice and milk, but how about I follow you out with the coffee pot?" suggests Emma. "This tray is already pretty full after all."

"Sure," says Ed, with a shrug. "Why not?" When Ed got back to the table, this time, Emma wasn't far behind him. As Ed was laying everyone's plates out on the table, Emma had stepped up next to him and was pouring coffee in Hoenheim's mug.

"Thank you, young lady," says Hoenheim.

"You're welcome," says Emma.

"What's your name?" asks Hoenheim, as Ed lays a plate in front of him. Ed noticed that everyone at the table seemed to be interested in Emma, and wondered why.

"My name is Emma Foster," she says, politely.

"She's training to be a cook, and was just helping me bring out the coffee, because my tray was too full," explains Ed.

"That was nice of her," says Trisha.

"Yeah, I guess," says Ed, blushing. Emma sighs and hands Ed the coffee pot.

"I have to get back to the kitchen before my uncle gets mad," says Emma, before turning her attention to Ed's family. "It was a pleasure to meet all of you."

"You should come to dinner," says Trisha, causing Ed's eyes to widen and his jaw to drop.

"What? Why?" demands Ed, at the same time that Emma had spoken.

"I'd love to. My shift ends at five," says Emma.

"That's perfect! We usually eat around six," says Trisha.

"Wait, she's coming tonight?" asks Ed.

"Is meatloaf alright?" asks Trisha.

"Yeah, that sounds great!" says Emma. Ed, feeling ignored, turns and walks back to the kitchen. He didn't want to hear anymore about dinner, and Emma coming over.

That evening, Ed gets home to find Hoenheim in the living room, reading a book. "Welcome home, Edward," says Hoenheim.

"Thanks," grumbles Ed, as he walks over to the couch and plops down, immediately rubbing his left leg, where metal met flesh. The weather had gotten cloudy, sure sign of a storm, and his stumps here aching terribly.

"Edward, I think you and I need to have a little talk," says Hoenheim. Ed was in too much pain to feel up to having an argument with Hoenheim at that moment so he decided he would let Hoenheim say what he wanted.

"What about?" asks Ed.

"Well, you're at the age that you'll be noticing girls, and I think we should have a talk. Father to son," says Hoenheim. Ed's face pales.

"Oh _hell no_! I do _not_ want to have 'the talk'!" screeches Ed, his face turning a deep shade of red. Hoenheim sighs heavily.

"Well, that's too bad, because you're getting it," says Hoenheim. Ed wanted to get up and leave the room at that moment, but after walking all the way home, from the inn, his left leg had decided that it was done supporting his weight. There was a storm coming, and it hurt, and no amount of coaxing was going to make it work for Ed; so Ed sat back and crossed his arms over his chest, pouting, as Hoenheim began speaking.

"When a boy gets to be your age, he goes through puberty. During puberty, he will begin growing body hair and his voice will begin to change," says Hoenheim. Ed groans, and covers his blushing face with his hands. "Along with the changes, come urges, and a boy will feel these urges when he sees or thinks about women he finds pretty." By this point Ed was shaking his head and trying his damnedest to tune out everything that was coming out of Hoenheim's mouth, but failing miserably.

"Now, when you decide that you want to court a young lady, such as Emma, you sh –" but Hoenheim didn't get to finish, because Ed had stood up and was stomping/limping out of the living room, towards the kitchen, and ultimately the back door. "I'm not done talking yet!" shouts Hoenheim. His shout was followed by the sound of the back door slamming, and then Al walked into the living room.

"Is brother home, yet?" asks Al.

"He just left, but you're just in time, Alphonse. Have a seat," says Hoenheim. Al gives Hoenheim a quizzical look before walking over to the couch and sitting down.

"Okay, what's up?" asks Al.

"Well, you're twelve now, and I think it's about time we had a little father-to-son-talk," says Hoenheim.

End Chapter

**A/N: Poor Al...Hoenheim's determined to give that talk...I, myself, have never really had that particular talk...my parents decided to let health class teach me that particular lesson...so I apologize if Hoenheim's little "talk" was less than stellar...and since I'm apologizing, I'm sorry this chapter sucks...I've had writer's block lately, and I'm still trying to decide where I want this to go since no one is ready for this to end...I had a couple of ideas though, so we'll see...I also apologize if it seems like my updates have slowed down...somehow I've been finding it more difficult to find time to write...I'm not sure why that is though...okay, so that's all I have to say! As always, questions, comments, suggestions, constructive criticism? Liked it? Hated it? NO FLAMES! Please review! Sayonara! =]**


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter Twenty-Four**

Ed was now fifteen years old, and things between him and Hoenheim had gotten somewhat better. They didn't fight quite as often, but their relationship still wasn't as close as it should have been. Ed had been getting closer to a certain mechanic though, and that made Trisha and Hoenheim happy. They liked seeing their oldest son noticing girls, and Winry would be good for him.

Al, on the other hand, had taken a liking to Emma, the girl Ed worked with. She was the same age as Al, after all, so it made sense. Ed liked to tease Al about it; which was why Al had run off, angry and embarrassed, and Ed was sent to look for him.

That had been hours ago, and it was getting dark, with no sign of Alphonse anywhere. Edward had even recruited Winry to help him in his search, but neither of them were having any luck. So, in a last ditch effort, they go to the train station, on the off chance that Al had hopped aboard a train. Ed hadn't thought that he had made Al that angry, but sometimes Al surprised them.

The woman at the desk informed them that Al had indeed boarded a train headed to Central. He was with a man. "What did this man look like?" demands Ed. Tears had begun welling up in Winry's eyes. Al was kidnapped!

"Well, he was wearing a hat and trench coat, so I didn't get a good look at him," says the woman, apologetically.

"You watched my little brother get kidnapped, and you didn't do anything?" asks Ed, angry and hurt by what was going on.

"He didn't look like he was being kidnapped. He was walking calmly beside the man," says the woman.

"What about his face? Did Al look scared? Nervous? Sad?" insists Edward. The woman thinks back on the moment, focusing on Al's face. Now that she thought about it, Alphonse had been silently crying, but he had wiped his tears away and began to look determined, but the man had said something and Al's eyes had widened, and he nodded before getting onto the train.

"I'm so sorry, Edward. I hadn't realized it, until just now, but I think the man had said something to Alphonse to make him cooperate," says the woman. By now Winry was openly sobbing, and Ed had no idea what to do. Al was on a train, headed to Central. Anger boils up inside Ed, and he grabs Winry's wrist, before stomping away from the station.

"What are you doing, Ed?" asks Winry, noticing Ed's anger. Ed wasn't always the most rational person when he was angry.

"What the hell does it look like I'm doing? I'm going back home to tell that bastard, Hoenheim, what happened!" growls Edward, as they walk back to his house. When they get there, Trisha and Hoenheim were sitting in the living room, each reading books. When Ed shuts the door, they look up at Edward and Winry, before Trisha gasps and goes over to Winry,pulling her into a hug.

"What's wrong, Winry?" asks Trisha.

"She's upset because we couldn't find Al," says Ed, trying to be calm, even though his mind was screaming at him; trying to remind him that Al had been kidnapped and he was just standing there! "We searched everywhere, and finally asked the woman at the station."

"Isn't that a bit excessive? I'm sure he's just hiding," says Trisha, petting Winry's head comfortingly.

"He's not. The woman confirmed that she saw Al getting on a train headed to Central. She said that he was with a man, but she was unable to describe him. She thought that maybe the man had told Al something to make he cooperate," explains Ed, causing Winry to go into a new fit of sobs. Al was missing! He'd been kidnapped! Winry was worried about him. So many bad things could happen to Al.

"Did she say when this happened?" asks Hoenheim. When Ed shakes his head, Hoenheim sighs. "Okay, I'm going to go to Central." With that said, Hoenheim leaves the room.

"Edward, please walk Winry home. Don't worry about Alphonse, I'm sure your father will be able to find him," says Trisha, reassuringly, as Ed begins leading Winry towards the door. When they get outside Winry throws her arms around Ed's neck and sobs into his shoulder.

"What if something bad happens to Al? What if that guy hurts him! Or worse!" Winry didn't want to think about what could be worse than Al getting hurt, but her imagination had no problem showing her many terrible things that could happen, some more unrealistic than others.

"Don't worry, Winry. Hoenheim and I will go to Central and get Al back safe and sound. You'll see," says Ed, gently extracting himself from Winry's grip and grabbing her hand to lead her home. "I'll need you to do my a favor though. You're not going to like it."

"What is it?" asks Winry.

"I need a transmutation circle, or two, carved into my auto mail, and I need it done immediately," says Ed, tensing up for the wrench that was sure to be aimed his way. Lucky for him, Winry didn't have a wrench, but she still had her vocal cords and tongue, and that was almost as bad.

"WHAT? You want me to deface my precious auto mail?" screeches Winry.

"Well, it's either you do it, or I go home and do it myself! Which would you prefer?" demands Ed. "I don't have time to argue this with you, Winry! Al is missing and Hoenheim is getting ready to leave for Central!" Winry had no doubt that Ed would carve the circles himself if she didn't, and he'd probably make a real mess of it. It seemed she had no choice.

"Fine, come on," says Winry, before taking off running towards her house. When they get there Winry takes Ed into the workshop and hands him a piece of paper and a pen. "Start drawing, Alchemy freak," she demands, before walking over to one of the many tool boxes and opening it to start looking for what she would need.

By the time she had come back, Ed had two circles drawn on the paper. Winry eyes them before picking up the pen and drawing them herself, just do double check that she could do it. "Okay, so where do these go?" asks Winry.

"I need this one," Ed points to the first drawing, "right around here," he says, pointing to a spot on the upper plate of his forearm. "And it should be the size of a coin, at least."

"What will it do?" asks Winry, as she picks up a marker and draws the transmutation circle on his arm. This was so that she wouldn't mess up.

"It'll allow me to transmute the metal in my arm into whatever shape I want," explains Ed, earning a wrench to the head.

"YOU IDIOT! Why would I put a transmutation circle on your auto mail that would let you mess with it!"

"I'll be able to put it back to normal!" screeches Ed, holding his head. Winry sighs as she pulls on her safety goggles and hands a pair to Ed, who puts them on as well.

"How does it look?" asks Winry. Ed examines the circle carefully, before nodding.

"Perfect," says Ed, before Winry gets to work. Ed was amazed at how carefully she worked to engrave the circle into his arm. She was very meticulous as she worked, and soon it was done.

"Okay, so where does the second one go?" asks Winry, after she had finished buffing and polishing the area.

"On my palm," says Ed, turning his hand, palm side up, for her to look at.

"What does it do?" asks Winry, as she draws.

"It's just a basic transmutation circle that allows me to make objects from the ground," says Ed. "Like barriers and stuff."

"Why do you suddenly feel that you need these things?" asks Winry.

"Because Al has been kidnapped by who knows who, and I have every intention of kicking his ass!" says Ed, matter-of-factually. "Plus, I'm sick of being defenseless. I'd been meaning to ask you to do this for me, but I never had a good reason until now." 

Winry sighs as she picks up her tool. "Look okay?" she asks. Ed scrutinizes his palm before nodding. Winry pulls her goggles back on, and Ed follows suit, before she starts engraving the circle into his palm. "If your parents get mad, this was all your idea, and you blackmailed me."

"Blackmailed you? With what?" demands Ed.

"I'm sure I can think of something," says Winry, as she works. After Ed's palm was engraved, buffed, and polished, Ed runs back home, just as Hoenheim was walking out the door.

"Hold on, I'm coming with you," says Ed, reaching for the door handle. He just needed his suitcase, and some clothes.

"I'm sorry, Edward, but you can't. You have to stay here with Trisha," says Hoenheim. "Al and I will be back before you know it."

"Like hell I can't go! I'm going with you!" shouts Ed, angrily. Forget the suitcase, Ed had money in his pocket, he could buy new clothes if he had to, and once he got to Central, he could stop by a bank. He had quite a little savings account going, since Trisha refused to spend his money and kept putting it into his account, and he never spent it just in case they needed it. "And you can't stop me old man! Even if I didn't leave tonight, I could be on a train tomorrow morning!"

Hoenheim sighs heavily. Ed was on another stubborn streak and couldn't be reasoned with. His only options were to make him stay, only to have him show up in Central the next day, or let him go now and save himself from worrying about Ed's safety the next day. "Fine, get your things. You have five minutes," says Hoenheim. Ed was in the door, before Hoenheim could finish his sentence, and back outside three minutes later, suitcase in tow.

As they were walking away, Trisha came to the door and called out to them. "You two be careful! Come home soon!" she calls. Ed and Hoenheim wave as they disappear into the night.

End Chapter

**A/N: Thank you for reading! I'm only 15 reviews away from reaching my goal! YAY! So keep them up! I can't wait to see who I get to write for next, and what they'll choose. Sorry I took so long to update, but at least I got it done today, if I hadn't you would have had to wait even longer...FMA is a great inspiration. LOL...I have all 5 box sets, so I sat and watched a few episodes to kind of get myself psyched to write this...so I hope you liked it. The next chapter should shed some light on Al's current situation, and why he got into the situation in the first place...so to the person I told I wasn't quite done being evil to Ed and Al...this is why...and to the person who asked me if Al would become important or not...the answer is now yes...lol...So please review and I will try to make my next update a little quicker, but I have to work all weekend, So I probably won't be writing anything this weekend...so maybe Monday or Tuesday, but don't hold me to that...Sayonara! =]**


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter Twenty-Five**

Ed was such a jerk! Why did he always insist on embarrassing him when they were together and Emma happened to be around? So what if he liked Emma? Alphonse kicks a rock as he walks towards town. Once again Ed had decided to make it clear that Al had a crush on Emma, and this time Emma seemed to have caught on and blushed.

Al wasn't sure if it was a good blush or a bad blush, and he had run off before he could find out. Now he was just walking around Resembool until his head cleared and he could face Ed without breaking his nose, because at that moment he _really_ wanted to break Ed's nose. And then he wanted to transmute it to look like a pig nose, just because he thought it would be funny.

As Al was walking, he sensed that he was being followed, so he picked up his pace. Surely if he made it into town, the person following him might not make a move against him, for fear of witnesses. Of course this wasn't to be, because his follower seemed to sense his plan and Al was suddenly being pulled against a body, by two strong arms. His yell was cut off by one of the hands coming up to cover his mouth, and then a pair of lips was next to his ear.

"You will do everything I say, Alphonse Elric, or your precious family will be no more. If you have any doubts of this at all I will be more than happy to prove it to you," whispers a decidedly male voice. Al had no doubt that this man was telling the truth. He seemed big and strong enough to pull it off. Not only that, but he knew his name! If he knew Al's name, then it wasn't a long shot to guess that he knew his family members' names as well.

When Al didn't struggle, the man removed his hand from Al's mouth. When Al didn't scream, the man let go of Al, but grabbed his wrist. "Very good. It seems that you believe me. I'll be taking you to Central. There is a man there that is eager to meet you."

"Why?" asks Al, warily.

"That isn't important right now. Come along," says the man, moving in front of Al, to pull him towards town. That was when Al got a look at his captor. The man was very tall, and he wore a trench coat, as well as a hat, that shielded his face.

By the time they reached the train station Alphonse was having second thoughts about the whole situation. He felt that he was being way too cooperative. If he had been Ed, he would have kicked this guy's butt. Of course Al wasn't Ed, so when he yanked his hand out of the man's grip and started to inhale enough oxygen to let out his loudest scream, the man had quickly grabbed his arm and covered his mouth.

"That's it, they're all dead. I hope you're happy," he growls, before yanking Al, who was crying now, onto the train.

The train car was empty, and the man literally threw Al onto one of the benches before taking a seat on the bench opposite of him. _They're all dead_. Al choked back a sob as the words muttered to him mere moments ago, flood his mind. His little stunt had cost him his family.

Of course, it hadn't occurred to Al that the man was on the train with him and therefore couldn't kill his family, but if it had maybe it would have given Al some hope for his family's welfare. Since he hadn't thought of it, Al was overcome with remorse. He'd just gotten his family killed because he was stupid, and he had tried to be like Ed.

Al lays his head against the window and looks out at the passing scenery. Maybe, with any luck, the man he was going to see would kill him when he got whatever it was he wanted from Al. He really didn't want to be the last Elric.

Al noticed movement out of the corner of his eye and looked over at the man. He was watching Al with a maniacal glint in his eye. Then, with a grin, he spoke. "It's too bad I don't get to watch your loved ones die. I'll have to ask my men to tell me how it went," says the man. "If only you had behaved back there at the station."

Al goes back to looking out the window. He didn't want to show this man weakness. It was what he wanted, after all, but the tears wouldn't stop coming.

**XxXxXxXx**

When Ed and Hoenheim arrived in Central, the first thing they did was get a room in the nearest hotel. Hoenheim didn't know how long they would be in Central, but he assumed it would at least be over night, even if they got lucky and found Alphonse right away. He hoped that nothing bad had happened to Al, Trisha wouldn't be able to bear it if anything happened to her youngest son; Hoenheim knew that.

"Edward, you know people in the military, correct?" asks Hoenheim, as he and Ed unpack their bags.

"Yeah. I know a few people," says Ed, already knowing where Hoenheim was going with his line of conversation. "You want me to go to headquarters?"

"Yeah. As soon as you get done there," says Hoenheim.

"What about you? What are you going to do?" asks Ed.

"I have a hunch about who may have taken Al. I'm going to go check it out," says Hoenheim, as he closes his suitcase.

"Why can't I go with you?" asks Ed.

"It's just better if you go to the military, Edward. If I find anything, I'll call," says Hoenheim, as he walks towards the door.

"Call where?" asks Ed.

"I'll call the military. Whose office should I ask for?" asks Hoenheim.

"Colonel Roy Mustang," says Ed, just before Hoenheim closes the door.

When Ed gets to HQ he receives a visitor's badge, before going to Mustang's office and knocking on the door. Hawkeye answers the door and looks surprised to see Ed standing there.

"Well, hello, Edward. I didn't know that we were expecting your company," says Riza, stepping aside so that Ed could enter.

"Yeah, I know. I wish I could say that this was just an informal visit, but I came because there's something wrong," says Ed, as he approaches Mustang's desk. Mustang, who was supposed to be doing paperwork, but was looking out the window instead, had turned to give Ed his attention at the mention of trouble.

"What seems to be the problem, Fullmetal?" asks Roy, clasping his hands together in front of him.

"It's my brother, Al. He's been kidnapped! Hoenheim and I came here on a lead from the woman at the train station. Hoenheim thinks he knows where Al was taken, but he felt that it was important that I come here," explains Ed, as he plops down on the couch.

"When was he kidnapped?" asks Roy, as he grabs a sheet of paper and a pen and begins writing.

"Well, he left on the eight o'clock train to Central, yesterday evening," says Ed. Roy nods as he writes.

"What did the woman at the station say?" asks Roy.

"That at first she had thought that he was going with the man willingly, so she didn't say anything, but when she had rethought about it, she realized that something had been said to make Al cooperate," says Ed. "She couldn't describe the man though, because he was wearing a trench coat and hat."

"Okay. Did Hoenheim say anything about who he thought was involved?" asks Mustang.

"No. He just told me to come here and that he would call," says Ed.

"Alright. I make some calls and see if I can find anything out with the information you provided. The least I can do is find out if your brother is even in Central," says Roy, as he motions for Riza. When she reaches his desk, he hands her the paper. "Take this to the information department, tell them who we're looking for, as well as a description of Alphonse. Edward, what was he wearing?"

"Um...," Ed had to think about it before he could continue, "A white long sleeved shirt under a red t-shirt, and tan pants."

"Okay, do you have all of that, Lieutenant?" asks Roy.

"Yes sir," says Riza.

"Good, we have no time to lose, go," orders Roy. Riza immediately stands at attention, salutes, and walks out of the room. Ed watches her go before turning to Roy and snorting disdainfully.

"That's it? You're just going to send her to another office?" asks Ed, incredulously.

"Is that a problem, Fullmetal?" asks Roy.

"I just think you could be doing more. Pick up the phone and make your own phone calls or something. Hughes always seems to know a little bit about everything, call him," says Ed, crossing his arms over his chest and sticking his nose in the air.

Roy sighs heavily before picking up the phone and dialing Hughes' office. "Hughes," says Maes.

"I have Edward Elric here," says Roy, looking at Ed, who was watching Roy intently.

"Say no more! I'm on my way there! Tell him not to go anywhere," says Hughes, cheerfully, before hanging up. Roy looks at the phone in his hand, quizzically, before hanging it up.

"He's on his way," says Roy. Ed nods before settling in to wait. When Hughes got there, he immediately pulled Ed into a hug before promptly bombarding him with pictures of Elysia, who had grown a lot since Ed had seen her last.

As Ed was looking through the pictures – he didn't want to be rude after all – Roy was busy telling Hughes the real reason Ed was in Central. "Not to worry, Edward. You've come to the right man!" says Hughes, jovially. "I'll go call around and find out where Al is." With that said, Hughes takes the photos from Ed and leaves the room.

Ed sighs heavily and lays down on the couch, looking at the transmutation circle on his auto mail hand. He had to admit that Winry had done a great job engraving it into his hand for him. He must have fallen asleep, because the next thing he knew, he was waking up and the phone was ringing.

"Mustang," he hears Roy say. There was a moment of silence, and then, "Fifth and Ash wood? I understand. We're on our way." There was another moment of silence, and Mustang spoke once more. "Understood. I'll make sure he stays here." And then Ed heard the phone being hung up.

"Breda, you and Falman need to stay here and make sure that Fullmetal doesn't leave this room," says Roy. That's when it all clicked for Edward. The person on the phone must have been Hoenheim. He had found Al, and was calling in the military to help him save Al, but he didn't want Ed to come along. He was trying to keep Ed away.

"Like hell I'm staying here," argues Ed, as he pulls himself into a sitting position.

"It's too dangerous for you, Edward. Stay here. We'll get Alphonse back. Don't worry," says Roy, just as Riza and Havoc walk in. They were both checking their guns and ammo. Riza had a rifle slung across her back.

"I'm coming with you!" insists Ed, just before the sound of a gun being fired, reverberated through the room, and a bullet grazed Ed's cheek. Ed yelps as his hands go to the small cut on his cheek.

"You're staying," says Hawkeye, flatly. Ed quickly nods his head and watches as Riza places her gun back in its holster, before following Roy and Havoc out. As the door closes, Ed begins formulating his escape. He was going to save Al, even if it was the last thing he did.

End Chapter

**A/N: I know I said Monday or Tuesday! And I realize that it's Sunday...so I'm like 5 or 6 days late, and I'm sorry! I was really busy those two days. Heck, I was busy today, but inspiration finally took hold I guess, so I was able to write the second half of this in like an hour. That's like a record for me. **

**So, I watched _Trigun: Badlands Rumble_ the other day, and it's awesome! If you liked _Trigun_, then you'll love the movie! If you don't know what _Trigun_ is...you must live under a rock...lol, actually I wouldn't be surprised if you didn't know. It's kind of an old anime. But, if you like shooting, and bounty hunters, and destruction, and over all silliness...you might like it...you'll have to look it up. It has some voice actors in it that you'll recognize though. **

**Okay, so getting off of that topic...I think that this story might be coming to an end...maybe...I don't know...I'm still debating on whether or not to make this story run into my next story. Which, by the way, is going to be Ed and Winry get married and Winry gets pregnant! That seemed to be the one you guys wanted. So, if you guys like that idea, let me know, and if not, let me know...I'll decide my next course of action that way. **

**So, thanks for reading! Please review! And with any luck I'll meet my goal! Thanks again! Sayonara! =]**


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter Twenty-Six**

When Al and his captor arrived in Central, Al was immediately taken to an alley not far from the train station, where he was blind folded and then picked up and carried to their destination. Al guessed that the man didn't want Al to know where they were, even if he were to escape. Al didn't exactly know the streets of Central very well, so he really would have been lost had he managed to get away.

When he was finally put back down, it was on, what felt like, a bed, or something similar to one anyway. And then the blindfold was removed and Al was able to see where he was. It was a room. A small room, with nothing more than a bed. The walls were made of cinder blocks, and there weren't any windows. The floor was concrete, and there was a door, which appeared to be made of metal, and it had a small window with metal bars.

Al looks down at his feet when he feels something clamp around his ankle. His captor had placed a chain around his ankle. "There, now you have no way to escape," says the man, in an accomplished tone. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll let my master know that you're here." With that said, he left, locking the door behind him. Al immediately flops over onto his side and buries his face into his pillow.

"Oh, and one more thing," says the man, and when Al looked up he could see the man watching him through the window on the door. "You'll serve your purpose dead or alive, so you might want to keep that in mind." And then he was gone, and Al buries his head into the pillow once more and sobs.

**XxXxXxXxXxX**

_This is bullshit,_ was the only thought in Ed's head as he sat on the couch and glared at the closed door. He wasn't a child! He didn't need to stay behind while the grown-ups went out and tried to save his little brother. Ed wanted to break out of the office and go after them, but Falman and Breda were on the other side of the door, so Ed knew that he needed a plan.

Looking around the room, Ed spots the window and immediately walks over to it. He opens it and looks down at the sidewalk below. It was too high for him to try and jump, but if he could transmute a ladder into the wall and climb down, that wouldn't be too bad. Of course, if Breda or Falman came to check on him and saw that he was gone, they would report it to Mustang, and then he'd be screwed, so he needed some sort of decoy or something.

Ed looks around the room again and comes across piles of paperwork that Mustang had sitting on his desk in two piles. One was huge and hadn't been signed yet, and the second pile was much smaller, but the papers were signed. Getting an idea, Ed grabs both stacks and carries them over to the couch were he unceremoniously drops them, before walking over to the desk and grabbing the mug of coffee that was sitting there almost all of the way full.

Ed picks it up and carries it back to the couch where he dumps it all over the papers, before dropping the cup onto the floor and clapping his hands together and placing them over the mess of papers and coffee. The power of the transmutation flowed through his body easily and it wasn't long before he had created a paper-mâché version of himself. Or, at least, a close enough version of himself, that as long as Falman and Breda didn't look too close they probably wouldn't notice.

After arranging the decoy on the couch to look like he was asleep, facing the back of the couch, Ed slips his jacket over it, to cover it up, and then walks over to the window and looks back down at the ground. With a clap of his hands and a little transmuting, Ed ad a ladder constructed on the side of the wall, and afterward it was easy to climb down to the ground. Now he just needed to find his way to Fifth and Ash Wood.

**XxXxXxXxXxX**

When Hoenheim had gotten to "his" hideout, he knew that he was right about who had taken Al. He knew that it was "him", probably trying to lure Hoenheim there for something. Revenge? It was possible, although, in Hoenheim's mind, the only one who should be seeking revenge was himself. This man had already taken everything from him once, and now it seemed that he was out to do so again.

Hoenheim couldn't let that happen, but he also knew that going in alone was suicide. He'd told Edward to go to the military and await his call, so he decided to go ahead and make the call. When he called, he was patched through to Colonel Mustang's office.

"Mustang."

"This is Edward's father, Hoenheim. I told him to let you know that I was calling when I found out where my other son, Alphonse was. I believe that he is in a location on Fifth Street and Ash Wood Drive," explains Hoenheim, into the speaker, in the public phone that had been nearby.

"Fifth and Ash Wood?" he asks.

"Yes," says Hoenheim.

"I understand. We're on our way."

"Just one last thing," says Hoenheim, before Mustang could hang up. "Don't bring Edward. This is too dangerous for him."

"Understood. I'll make sure he stays here." And then the line went dead. Now all Hoenheim could do was wait for them to arrive. He didn't have to wait for very long, Mustang had shown up with a man and a woman, both of which who were carrying weapons.

"These two are Second Lieutenant Jean Havoc and Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye," says Roy, motioning to them as he introduces them.

"You can call me Hoenheim."

"So, what are we walking into?" asks Mustang, all business.

"The man who kidnapped my son is a very powerful Alchemist. I'm not sure how much good your guns will do you against this man, to be honest. I'm hoping that I'll be able to talk to him, without violence, but should I not succeed, I needed a back-up plan," explains Hoenheim, apologetically.

"Does this man have a name?" asks Mustang, following Hoenheim down an alley to a door. Hoenheim pauses in front of the door, with his hand on the knob, and seems to think about it.

"When I first met him, he was nothing more than a speck in a flask; 'the dwarf in the flask'. When I left, he was something completely different, but I didn't stick around long enough to find out if he renamed himself," says Hoenheim, before opening the door and peering inside. "It appears that there are chimeras guarding this place, please watch out," he warns, before stepping inside.

Mustang looks back to Havoc and Hawkeye. "You heard the man. Guns at the ready. We have Chimeras to kill." With that said, they follow Hoenheim into the darkness.

**XxXxXxXxXxX**

It took Ed about thirty minutes and having to ask three different people for directions, before he got to Fifth and Ash Wood, and when he did, he found an alley. Ed really hated allies nowadays. With some hesitation, Ed began walking down the alley, his right shoulder twinging with every step, and noticed a door that was slightly ajar. Figuring that it couldn't hurt to try, Ed opens the door and steps inside, and then abruptly stops.

It looked like a butcher shop had exploded in the long tunnel, with malformed creatures lying dead on the floor, in pools of blood. Realizing that the creatures were probably placed in the tunnel to protect whatever was at the end of it, Ed decides to take it slow. He also decides to turn his auto mail arm into a blade, just in case one of them isn't dead.

Blade at the ready, Ed begins walking down the tunnel, past various creatures. From what he could tell, it looked as though the man had taken whatever stray he could find on the street and transmuted them with whatever person he found wandering around, probably drunk or homeless. He hoped that none of these creatures were his brother.

**XxXxXxXxXxX**

It seemed, to Roy, that the four of them had walked for quite a while before they finally came to the end of the tunnel. Between their guns and their alchemy, the chimeras had been easy enough to pick off. Roy had been surprised by how skillful Hoenheim was with his alchemy. He hadn't even needed a circle! He didn't need to do anything in fact. He just transmuted! He could see why the military had been after him. An alchemist that powerful could be seen as a threat.

When they reached the end of the tunnel, Hoenheim stopped and turned towards them. "I'd like you three to stay here. If it seems like I need help, then you may come out," says Hoenheim, before turning and walking out into the room without letting them say anything.

Roy, Riza, and Havoc watch as Hoenheim approaches a man sitting in a chair in the center of the room. "Welcome, my old friend," says the man, jovially.

"Hello, dwarf in the flask," says Hoenheim, as he walks into the room. "I came to ask you why you took my youngest son away from my home."

"I'm offended. I haven't seen you in over 400 years, and now, you show up to accuse me of kidnapping a child that I didn't even know existed," says the man.

"I find it hard to believe that in all of these years you haven't been keeping tabs on me. That just doesn't seem like your style. In any case, I'm here, so what did you want from me?" asks Hoenheim. Instead of answering, the man grins evilly and suddenly his hand was in Hoenheim's stomach.

"I want what I gave you 400 years ago! I want your stone!" he shouts.

Deciding that Hoenheim's life was now officially in danger Roy moves to save him. Hawkeye and Havoc follow him, and watch as Roy snaps his fingers and the man is suddenly engulfed in flames, forcing him to remove his hand from Hoenheim's gut.

"Are you alright, Hoenheim?" asks Roy, rushing over to Hoenheim, who was standing holding his stomach.

"I'll be fine in just a moment," says Hoenheim, sounding a little out of breath. "I'd be more worried about protecting yourself and your men if I were you."

"What do you mean? I just barbequed that guy," says Roy.

"Not quite," says the man. Roy turns his head towards the man and finds the man standing in the exact same spot looking perfectly normal. "It's going to take a lot more than that to get rid of me!"

End Chapter

**A/N: Thanks for reading! I'm sorry I took so long to update! I was lacking motivation, and I didn't really know how I wanted to end this chapter. Looks like this particular battle will last at least another chapter...maybe even two if I time things right...I hope you guys liked it! Please review and let me know! Okay? I seem to be getting less and less reviews lately...Okay, so please review! Sayonara! =]**


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter Twenty-Seven**

When Ed arrived, at the end of the tunnel, the fight was already well underway, and it was hard to tell who was winning. Which was scary, considering that it was four against one. Figuring that five against one was better than four, Ed walks into the room, blade at the ready, but as soon as he walked into the room Hoenheim turned and saw him.

"What are you doing here?" he demands, quickly erecting a barrier between them and the man they were fighting.

"No way was I letting you guys save Al by yourselves!" retorts Ed, just before a sudden blast was heard and the barrier exploded, throwing large pieces of stone everywhere. Ed throws his arms up in front of his face as pieces of debris fly around him.

"Well then, since you're already here, why don't you go looking for your brother?" suggests Hoenheim. "The four of us can handle him."

"Are you sure?" asks Ed. Instead of answering, Hoenheim goes back to fighting, erecting a large cannon and firing several shots at the man they were fight. They would have hit, but the man created a barrier of his own and the large arrow head shaped projectiles exploded on contact.

"GO!" bellows Hoenheim. Ed nods and runs back out of the room in search of his brother. He had noticed that there were many other paths down the tunnel, but had decided to follow the destruction. When he gets back in the tunnel he takes a left and follows the tunnel into an underground labyrinth.

"Great, how am I supposed to know where to find Al?" he muses, as he walks through the maze-like tunnels.

After Ed had left, Roy, Hoenheim, and the soldiers were back to their face-off with the man. Roy couldn't believe what he was seeing. He'd barbequed that man at least ten times and he wasn't in the least bit hurt. It was like he kept putting some sort of force field up around himself.

"How are we supposed to beat this guy?" shouts Roy, frustrated.

"Just keep attacking him!" demands Hoenheim. "His stone will eventually run out and he'll become defenseless!"

"My stone won't run out for a very long time! You'll all die from exhaustion long before I run out of power," says the man, arrogantly.

"We'll just have to find out if you're right!" barks Roy. "Don't give up, men! Just keep shooting!"

"We're almost out of ammunition, sir!" shouts a distressed Riza.

It seemed to take forever for Ed to finally come to a hallway full of doors. When he reaches the first door, he tries the knob. The door opens easily enough, but when he enters the room, it's empty. Ed sighs heavily and walks back out into the hallway.

After trying about ten doors, he finally reaches a door that's locked. Ed bangs on the door. "Hey Al! You in there?" shouts Ed.

"Brother! Is that you?" came Al's muffled response, from inside the room.

"Yeah! Don't worry Al, I'm going to get you out!" shouts Ed.

"Okay!" shouts Al.

"You won't be letting anyone out," says a voice behind Ed, startling him. He whirls around to face the man behind him, and finds a man. The man had long dark hair and wore a skin-tight, black shirt that looked almost like a sleeveless, turtleneck shirt that had been cut just below his chest. He was also wearing a black skort. His eyes were a dark violet color.

"Who the hell are you?" asks Ed.

"How rude of me to not introduce myself! You can call me Envy."

"Why are you here? And why did you kidnap my brother?" demands Ed.

"I guess I can tell you, it's not like you'll be alive long enough to tell anyone. We kidnapped him for use as bait to get Hoenheim here," says Envy.

"What do you want with Hoenheim?" asks Ed, surprised.

"It's not what I want. It's what my Father wants. He wants something that he gave to Hoenheim a long time ago," says Envy.

"What does Hoenheim have that your father could possibly want?" asks Ed.

"A philosopher's stone."

They were running out of ammunition and the man they were up against didn't seem to be taking any damage. Riza was on her last clip and she wasn't sure what Havoc had left, but she doubted it was much more than what she had. What were they going to do?

"Colonel Mustang, keep using your flames!" shouts Hoenheim, as he runs over to Riza and Havoc. "What caliber bullets are you using?" he asks, when he reaches them.

".45, why?" asks Riza.

"I can transmute some ammunition for you," says Hoenheim, walking over to a pile of rubble from the earlier. He touches the pile and suddenly there were bullets and clips where there had once been stones.

"That should help for now," says Hoenheim, turning just in time for one of Roy's attacks to be reflected back at all of them. "Get down, NOW!"

"I think you have the wrong idea. Hoenheim doesn't have a philosopher's stone," says Ed. Envy laughs evilly before looking at Ed with a sadistic grin on his face.

"That's where you're wrong, pipsqueak. Hoenheim is definitely in possession of a stone," says Envy.

"DON'T CALL ME PIPSQUEAK!" screeches Ed, as he lashes out at Envy, who easily blocks his attack.

"What would you prefer? Hm? Shorty? Midget? Half-pint?" teases Envy, as Ed blindly throws punches and kicks at him in a blind rage.

"HOW DARE YOU CALL ME SHORT!" screeches Ed, as he slams his bade into Envy's gut, causing Envy to spit up blood. Ed pulls his blade out of Envy's stomach, his eyes wide with fear as he stares, first, at the blood on his auto mail blade and then at the hole he had put in Envy's torso, that was flashing with red alchemical energy as the wound closed itself.

Within seconds Envy was fine. In fact, he looked like nothing had happened to him at all. "Wha-?"

"It's going to take a lot more than that to kill me, kid," says Envy, transforming his left arm into a blade. "I'm going to kill you long before you're able to kill me." With that said Envy lunges At Ed who is quick to dodge.

When the dust settled and Roy was finally able to take in his surroundings once more, he looked over to where he knew Lieutenant Hawkeye and Second Lieutenant Havoc had been, only to see a large pile of rubble.

"No," he gasps, as he runs over to the rubble and begins searching frantically for a place to start digging. Just as he finds one there's a flash of blue and the pile starts moving! Roy quickly backs up just in time for the pile to fall out away from where the light had been seen. When the light fades, Hoenheim could be seen standing with Hawkeye and Havoc kneeling next to him looking shaken, but otherwise unharmed.

"Lieutenant!" cries Roy, before running back over to them.

"I'm okay, Sir, thanks to Mr. Hoenheim's last minute alchemy," says Hawkeye.

"I'm glad," says Roy.

"What about me, Colonel? Just because I'm a man I'm suddenly not as important?" asks Havoc.

"Th-That's not – "

"Forget it. I know what you meant," says Havoc.

"How pitiful. Your friends nearly die and suddenly you forget all about why you're here," says the man, as he extends his left hand out in front of him, and then with a red flash the arm turned into a black mass and extended until it had wrapped itself around Hoenheim, effectively capturing him before pulling him back to the man.

"I believe that I've played your game long enough, Hoenheim, now I will take what is rightfully mine."

"Brother!" screams Al, as he listens to the fight that was going on in the hallway outside of his room. Judging by the sounds, things weren't going well for his older brother. Al wished that there was something that he could do for Edward, but he was at a loss as to what it could be. He didn't have anything that he could use to pick the lock of the cuff that was on his ankle, and he had nothing to draw circles with. All that he seemed capable of at this point was screaming for his brother, but what good would that do?

"Brother! Hang in there!" Words of encouragement were all that Al had to offer, he just hoped that it would be enough. It had to be.

End Chapter

**A/N: Thank you for reading and reviewing. I'm super sorry that I've been so slow as of late. I was trying to prolong these two fight scenes, but the next chapter should make for the end of the fights. I still haven't decided on a proper ending to this fanfic, so if anyone has any idea please let me know. My mom's idea was completely unhelpful...I think she was trying to get me killed by you guys... -_-' On the plus side I have ideas for a future crossover, and this story actually has an ending...but before I do the crossover I'll be doing the Ed and Winry have a baby story...But I don't think that I'll make that a sequel to this one as I had originally thought. To be honest I'm kind of getting bored with this story and would really like for it to be over soon...so the next few chapters should do it...and this time it will be the end...**

**Also, the holidays have arrived, and with the arrival of the holidays comes the arrival if baking and candy making, so because I have to help my mom with that stuff I'll have even less time to work on my fanfics. So while I will work hard to get the next chapter up in a timely fashion, don't expect any miracles...**

**Thank you everyone for sticking with me for so long...It's been really fun and everyone has been great! I've loved all of the reviews that I have received for this story, and I'm hoping to reach my goal of 125 reviews by the end of this. I'm very close. So thanks. Sayonara! =]**


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter Twenty-Eight**

Envy was kicking his ass. It was all Ed could do to dodge, and any attacks of his that did manage to make contact weren't doing any damage. Envy's wounds healed almost as quickly as he received them. He could hear Al yelling for him through the door. Words of encouragement and worry that helped Edward remember just what it was that he was fighting for. He would do anything, give up anything, if it meant saving his younger brother.

With that thought in mind, Ed claps his hands and slaps them against the floor. A wave of blue light moves over the floor as the transmutation is performed, shifting the clay and gravel into large spikes that he aimed at Envy. Envy dodges, but he's too slow and one of the spikes pierces his foot, trapping him.

Ed grins in triumph as he claps his hands once more and touches the wall next to him.

"Don't think you've won just yet, pipsqueak," says Envy, as a white light flashes around his foot, breaking down the spike and healing his foot, just as the wall shifts and more spikes come at him, but this time Envy manages to dodge. "I'm impressed, it seems that you do have some skills after all."

"That's not all I have," says Ed, clapping his hands once more. "I'm done playing with you. I'll be going all out from now on."

"Oh? Then maybe I should go all out as well," says Envy, as his body begins to shift and grow. Ed could only watch in horror as Envy takes on the form of a large green monster with what appeared to be human bodies all over it. With a single strike of his massive tail Envy effectively rids the hallway of the spikes Ed had created.

"What the hell are you?" whispers Ed, in fear as he takes in the sight before him.

"I'm a homunculus."

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**

When Al heard the large crash he just knew that Ed was in trouble. "Brother, hang in there!" screeches Al, as he looks around wildly for something, _anything_ that he could draw a transmutation circle with, but there just wasn't anything.

Al tugs on the chain again, wishing that he could get his foot out of the cuff. He had already pulled and twisted his ankle to the point that the skin was raw and beginning to bleed in some spots. Al tries once more to free his foot, but only succeeds in making his ankle bleed even more, the blood running down the cuff and pooling on the floor. And then an idea hits Al. He could use his blood!

Al quickly begins drawing on the floor with his blood, creating a small transmutation circle which he uses to remove the cuff. Once free, he runs to the door and draws a second circle which he uses to unlock the door. "I'm coming, Brother," says Al, as he opens the door, just in time to see Ed get knocked against the wall by a large tail.

"Brother!"

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**

Roy wasn't sure what to do at that moment. The man they were fighting was wrist deep into Hoenheim's gut and Hoenheim was obviously in pain. Hawkeye and Havoc were watching the scene with wide, terror filled eyes. "We need to help him!" barks Mustang, causing them both to jump.

"I agree, sir, but what do you propose we do?" asks Hawkeye. Havoc was nodding his head in agreement to Hawkeye's words.

"We need to stop him!" he shouts, and Havoc snorts.

"You pretty much already said that, sir. _How_?" retorts Havoc. Mustang wasn't sure, he had hoped that one of them would chime in instead of looking at him like he was an idiot. He glares at Havoc.

"I know!" barks Mustang. "Since you seem to be so smart you tell me!" snaps Mustang. It wasn't like they had all of the time in the world to figure it out.

"Well, not trying to state the obvious here, but attacking outright doesn't seem to do us any good. Perhaps you could try using alchemy while he's distracted," says Hawkeye.

"I could give it a try, but I'm not good at much outside of my flame alchemy," says Roy, wishing he had focused more on the other alchemy he had learned. He almost wished that Ed was with them, he seemed to know more about matter alchemy than he did.

"That's true, but I've seen you pull through before," says Hawkeye, her eyes full of determination and confidence in her superior officer. With a heavy sigh, Mustang racks his brain for a transmutation circle that he could use.

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**

Ed was in a daze, but he could hear Al's voice. It sounded much closer and more clear. And then his younger brother was in front of him. "Al?" he asks, hoarsely.

"I'm here, brother. Are you okay?" asks Al, as Ed wipes his eyes.

"Are _you_ okay?" asks Ed, as he tries to get up.

"What are you doing out of your cell?" demands Envy, as he runs towards them. Al quickly draws a circle and activates it causing the floor to shift and transform into vines that wrap around Envy.

"We should just get out of here," says Al, helping Ed to his feet.

"Hell no, we've got to make sure he can't hurt you or anyone else," growls Ed, as he claps his hands just as Envy gets free. Ed slaps his hands against the wall, causing spikes to form again.

"This trick again?" sneers Envy, lashing out with his tail and destroying the spikes again.

"Any better ideas, brother?" asks Al.

"Just one," says Ed, as he takes a step backward.

"What is it?" asks Al, just before Ed grabs his wrist and begins running down the hallway.

"We run like hell!" screeches Ed, as Al regains his footing and pulls his wrist free so that he can run next to Ed. Al had to admit that Ed ran pretty fast for someone with an auto mail leg.

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**

Roy was just on the verge of remembering the basic transmutation circle that he knew, when he heard multiple yelling coming from down the tunnel, along with a roaring sound. "What the hell?" asks Roy.

Suddenly, Ed and Al burst into the room with a giant green monster chasing them. "WHAT THE HELL?"

"He's all yours, Colonel!" screeches Ed, as they run behind Hawkeye.

"What did you two do?" demands Mustang.

"I was trying to save Al!" snaps Ed.

"We couldn't beat him, sir," says Al, apologetically.

"What do you expect me to do?" asks Roy.

"Flame his ass!" demands Ed.

"You owe me, Fullmetal," grumbles Roy, before snapping his fingers and engulfing the creature in flames.

"What is that thing?" asks Hawkeye.

"His name is Envy, and he's a homunculus," says Ed, watching the flames die. Envy was standing, burned, but healing. "It's going to take more than that to defeat him."

"Now you tell me!" sneers Roy. "I'll figure him out, you save your father!" Ed and Al look over to where Hoenheim was struggling to get the man's hand out of his stomach.

"Dad!" shouts Al, worried.

"Hoenheim!" yells Ed. He claps his hand and slaps the floor. A spike shoots up from the floor,, spearing the man's arm and Hoenheim stumbles away. Once free, Hoenheim runs over to the group.

"Al! You're here! Thank you, Edward," says Hoenheim.

"Yeah, next time, you can go save Al," says Ed.

"How nice, the family is reunited," says the man.

"Just give it up, we're all here now, and we'll defeat you," says Hoenheim.

"Envy! Quit toying with that man and come here," demands the man, ignoring Hoenheim.

"Yes, Father," says Envy, taking on his human form and going back to his father's side.

"So you think, but you have yet to harm me," says Father.

"Did you forget what Ed did to your hand?" asks Havoc.

"That was mere luck," says Father.

"'Luck'?" scoffs Ed. "That was _skill_!"

"You keep telling yourself that, pipsqueak, but if you couldn't defeat me, you have no hope against Father!"

"I wouldn't be so sure. It's six against two, and four of us are alchemists. The odds are against you, even with your philosopher's stone!"

"He has a philosopher's stone?" asks Ed.

"Yes, but it's okay, because we have one too," says Hoenheim.

"We do?" asks Ed.

"Where?" asks Al.

"It's inside my body. I'm a living philosopher's stone," says Hoenheim.

End Chapter

**A/N: Thanks for reading! Sorry I took forever again, but I literally wrote one page and got stuck, and I wrote this whole chapter with writer's block, so I hope it doesn't suck too much. I had also thought that I would make this the last chapter, but alas, that didn't happen, and I didn't feel like making the chapter any longer, so I guess the next chapter or two will decide their fates and end it so I can move on. Also, it's really hard to get inspired without reviews! So please please please review! That is all. Sayonara! =]**


	29. Chapter 29

**A/N: This chapter is dedicated to Zanzibar1 for giving me my 125th review! Thank you so so much to you and everyone else who reviewed my story! It helped tremendously in getting me this far! Since I'm almost done writing this I won't be asking for anymore goals to be met, but that doesn't mean that I want you to not review! Also, Zanzibar1's oneshot is complete and posted. It's called _True Feelings_ so anyone who wants to check it out you can find it on my profile! Now, onward to the story! Enjoy! Sayonara! =]**

**Chapter Twenty-Nine**

Ed and Al couldn't believe what they were hearing! Hoenheim was saying that he was a living philosopher's stone! "How could that be?" demands Ed, after the shock wore off.

"It's a bit of a long story, but the man we're fighting now made me that way," says Hoenheim.

"Talk later!" demands Roy. "We have to beat these two!"

"He's right," says Hoenheim. "The only thing we can do is keep attacking those two until they run out of energy. Be prepared for anything." Just then, a large arrow shaped projectile comes flying at them. Hoenheim quickly builds a wall and blocks it. Ed could hear Roy snapping his fingers repeatedly and screams of pain coming from Envy.

Ed claps his hands and slaps them to the ground. The wall that Hoenheim had built to protect them is broken down and turned into several cannons which Ed shoots at Father.

"I need something to draw with," says Al, desperately. Hoenheim reaches into his pocket and pulls out a pair of gloves that he uses alchemy on to give them transmutation circles.

"Use these. Just clap," says Hoenheim, as he hands them to Al, who quickly pulls the gloves on and claps before transmuting spikes into the ground. Father destroys the spikes with ease. "Don't give up! Just keep wearing him down!" shots Hoenheim, trying to encourage everyone as they fight Father and Envy.

It isn't much longer before Mustang snaps his fingers and engulfs Envy in flames for what seemed like the hundredth time – and by this point it probably was – but instead of Envy standing up and regenerating, he goes down and his body begins disintegrating into ash, that is blown away by the soft breeze that blew in the room. Father watches, eyes wide in shock, as his "son" is destroyed before his very eyes. He had never thought it possible.

"That wasn't so hard," boasts Roy, even as he stands there panting from the exertion of using his alchemy so much.

"I'm not beaten just yet, you worms!" a tiny voice could be heard coming from the spot Envy's body had just been in. Everyone looks over to see a small lizard-like creature sitting on a rock.

"What is that?" asks Ed.

"That's Envy's core. He's nearly dead, one more blow ought to do it," says Hoenheim.

"He's so ugly," says Ed, in distaste.

"Hey, shut-up pipsqueak!" retorts Envy.

"Who are you calling so small that they could be crushed by an ugly lizard?" demands Ed, as he runs over to Envy.

"Who are you calling an ugly lizard?" cries Envy, just before Ed snatches him up and gives him a good shake.

"I'll show you who the pipsqueak is. How about I put you in a jar? I could keep you as my ugly little pet lizard," hisses Ed, menacingly.

"I'd like to see you try," says Envy, before biting Ed's finger, causing him to drop Envy. Envy takes advantage of the situation and climbs up Ed's pant leg. Ed starts jumping around and slapping at Envy as he makes his way up Ed's leg.

"What the hell are you doing?" screeches Ed, watching the small lump, that was Envy, go up his leg, towards his groin. "Get away from there!" he yells as his hands move faster, trying to stop Envy.

Envy makes his way out of Ed's pants and climbs up his shirt until he reaches the back of Ed's neck and latches onto it with his teeth.

"Ow! What the hell?" screeches Ed, getting ready to reach back and pull Envy off of his neck, but just as he lifts his hand, he finds that he can't move it. Envy begins laughing maniacally.

"Ha! Now I have complete control of your body," says Envy, while forcing Ed to dance around, to prove his point.

"No, Edward!" shouts Hoenheim, angrily. Father – after watching everything unfold – grows bored and attacks Hoenheim again. Hoenheim barely has time to block the attack.

"Envy, keep Edward out of the way," says Father.

"You've got it, Father!" says Envy, proudly.

"Hey, a little help would be nice!" shouts Ed, angrily, as he glares at his group of allies.

"Al, go help your brother," says Hoenheim, as he blocks another one of Father's attacks.

"Okay," says Al, beginning to walk towards Ed, but Father blocks his path.

"You bastard!" shouts Ed, angrily.

"I'll get it, Alphonse," says Roy, snapping his fingers. Suddenly Envy catches fire and jumps off of Ed's neck to roll on the ground in an effort to dispel the fire.

"WHAT THE HELL?" screeches Ed, clamping his hand to his neck where Envy had just been attached.

"You're fine, Fullmetal, quit whining and get over here!" orders Mustang.

"YOU ALMOST KILLED ME!"

"I did not. You were fine," says Mustang in a monotone voice. Ed runs over and kicks Roy in the shin with his auto mail foot.

"You're a bastard!" accuses Ed.

"So I've heard," says Roy, while he picks at his ear with his pinky finger. Ed was still glaring at Roy, when suddenly Roy's eyes widen and he tackles Ed to the ground just before a large boulder is launched at them.

"Ouch! That hurt, bastard," groans Ed, as he tries to get up, but Roy is still on top of him. Roy rolls off of Ed and looks over at Father, who was watching them with a glare aimed at them.

"You could try saying 'thank you'. If it weren't for me you would have been crushed," says Roy. Ed looks at the boulder which was laying where he had just been standing. Ed stands up and brushes his pants off.

"I would have dodged it," says Ed, before walking over to the boulder and clapping his hands. He places his hands on the boulder and makes the boulder explode into hundreds of tiny spikes that are aimed at Father. Father erects a barrier once more, but this time some of the spikes make it through and hit Father, scratching his skin.

"Sure you would have," grumbles Roy, as he stands up and brushes his pants off as well.

Roy notices that the spikes had made contact with Father. _Finally, _he thinks, before snapping his fingers and surrounding Father with flames. Father yells out in anger and pain. When the flames dissipate Father was left standing, his pale skin, red and blistered.

"Envy!" bellows Father, turning to look for Envy, who was currently crawling towards a large boulder, but stops when he hears his name called.

"Yes?" asks Envy.

"Come here," says Father. Envy sighs heavily before making his way over to Father. When he gets to him, Father picks Envy up and thrusts his hand into his mouth. Envy gags, and everyone takes an involuntary step forward out of shock, as they watch Father pull a red stone out of Envy and Envy dissolves into ashes.

"What a good son you are, Envy," says Father, before placing the stone in his mouth and swallowing it. His red and blistered skin heals and Father creates a cannon. Roy snaps his fingers, and Father lifts his hand. Suddenly the flame that was aimed at Father is formed into a ball of fire and shot back at him.

Ed steps in front of Roy and claps his hands before creating a barrier just in time to avoid he and Roy getting killed. "Now we're even," says Ed, smugly.

"Are you an idiot? You could have been killed!" bellows Roy.

"Oh, so now you're concerned about whether or not I live? Five minutes ago you nearly scorched me, and now you're mad because I saved you?" demands Ed, incredulously.

"Could you two argue about that later? We have bigger problems!" implores Riza, as she cocks her gun and begins shooting at Father.

"She's right," says Roy, before standing up and snapping his fingers. After Roy's attack, everyone joins in with their own alchemy and weapons, but by this point everyone had fought for a long time and they were all beginning to get tired.

Father could see this, and he smirks. "You're all getting tired. You should just give it up. You can't defeat me," boasts Father.

"You underestimate us, humans," says Ed, before clapping his hands and slapping them down onto the ground and transmuting a large hand that grabs Father. Hoenheim creates a large stone sword that stabs through the large hand that held Father, effectively cutting him in half.

"If he comes back from that, I quit," says Ed, eying Father's body warily.

"No one can survive getting cut in half," says Roy, uncertainly.

"Yeah, and they can't survive being set on fire multiple times either," retorts Ed, before snorting.

"Envy's philosopher's stone was almost used up. So I would have to say that he's dead," says Hoenheim. He walks over to Father's body and checks his pulse.

"He doesn't have a pulse," says Hoenheim. He takes a step back, intending to walk towards them, but as soon as he moves, the body shoots up into flames, nearly getting Hoenheim as well.

"That should ensure that he doesn't go anywhere," says Roy.

"Are you trying to set my dad on fire?" asks Ed.

"I wasn't going to get him," says Roy. Ed shrugs and walks over to Al, who had stopped standing and was sitting on the ground rubbing his ankle. Roy, who had been expecting another argument, is surprised by Ed's actions and wonders if things still weren't good between Ed and Hoenheim.

"Are you alright, Al?" asks Ed, as he kneels down next to Al, and pulls his hand away so that he can inspect Al's wound.

"I'll be fine," says Al. "It's just from the cuff rubbing my ankle."

"Do you need help getting out of here?" asks Ed.

"No, I can walk," says Al, before standing up. Ed stands up as well.

"Let's just get out of here," says Hoenheim, walking over to Ed and Al and throwing his arms around both of them. Ed shrugs Hoenheim's arm off of his shoulders and walks away.

Mustang notices Hoenheim's hurt look and walks over to Ed. "Fullmetal, why don't you walk with me?" suggests Mustang. "Everyone needs to head to HQ! Havoc and Riza, I want your reports on my desk tomorrow morning! Elrics, I want you three to provide statements!" orders Roy.

"Since when did I take orders from you?" snaps Ed.

"Since you asked for my help, Fullmetal," retorts Roy. "Let's move out!" Everyone walks out of the room where Father's body lay as nothing more than ash.

A few weeks later everything was back to normal. Ed was dating Winry, Al was trying to find the nerve to ask Emma out on a date, and Trisha and Hoenheim were as happy as could be. Everything was great! And Ed wouldn't have changed a thing!

Sometimes the things you need are far from home, but sometimes you have everything you need right in front of you.

End Story

**A/N: This time it is officially over! Sorry if the end is a disappointment, but my brain has given up on this story. I also apologize if the fight scene was a huge let down. I'm not experienced in writing fight scenes...I tried to kind of tie it all together by mentioning what was going on with them after everything...I don't know...this ending is kind of fail...sorry...if I ever think of something better I'll update it. Okay? So...thanks to everyone who reviewed my story! You all totally rock! I met all of the goals that I had set! I really hope everyone enjoyed the story over all! Please review and let me know! My next story will be about Ed and Winry having a baby. So I hope you'll all read it! Sayonara! =]**


End file.
